


forever take your place (here by my side)

by commedies



Series: let love bleed red [1]
Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Forehead Kisses, Friendship, Kissing, M/M, Magic, Merpeople, Mild Angst, Milo the dolphin, Slow Burn, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, Wizards, as in its chronological but not perfectly linear, bumpy narrative, contributing to the hwa babie agenda, dont laugh hes important, half-assed poetry about falling in love, hongjoong is endeared, it's mild and momentary so rest assured, no beta we die like men, oh my god they were housemates, pov switching, seonghwa is clueless, soft ramblings, which reminds me, yup we getting emo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-08
Updated: 2019-10-08
Packaged: 2020-11-22 13:08:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 23,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20874707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/commedies/pseuds/commedies
Summary: some things in his life make Seonghwa crave a new beginning — and to look for this new beginning among humans.he never thought falling in love would be a part of it, though.or, Seonghwa is a merman who wants to walk on land, and Hongjoong is the wizard he seeks to help him with it.





	forever take your place (here by my side)

**Author's Note:**

> HI !!!!!! first of all, id like to thank the ateez ficfest mod for organizing this!! thank you so much <3 second of all, thank you, dear prompter, for such an amazing prompt! i had so much fun with it c:
> 
> (i never thought the fic would end up so big. im surprised at myself tbh)
> 
> now, to the readers, i hope you enjoy the story!! hehe i love this concept, and i tried my best at it, so !! 
> 
> before u go!!
> 
> \- title taken from sleeping with sirens' “let love bleed red” (haha get it... merpeople au.. sirens..... haha)
> 
> \- check out this fic's [playlist](https://open.spotify.com/user/kiwiheadphones/playlist/7DtShg0QkTcqYSmg6xfQsc?si=KnmWbb_8Rg2qazkygQEbRQ) if you'd like uwu
> 
> w/o further ado, enjoy~

Seonghwa doesn’t understand the concept of sandcastles.

He’s been watching two kids play with sand at the beach for a while now. At some point, one of them starts stacking wet sand into a recipient, only to unmold it afterwards. The kids repeat the process over four more times, until they have a lot of cylindrical mounts of compacted sand. It’s intriguing — Seonghwa tries to come up for an explanation as to why the kids would choose such an activity as a playtime, when he’s sure there were plenty of others.

He doesn’t have a proper name for what they’re doing until an adult woman, maybe a mother to one (or both) of the kids, approaches them. She smiles tenderly at the kids, and says something about the “beautiful sandcastle” they’re building. That puzzles Seonghwa’s mind even more — the kids’ creation doesn’t look like a castle at all.

He’s seen castles before, they have those where he lives. And, while the sand sculpture does resemble a habitable building now that the kids started piling the sand mounts on top of one another, Seonghwa can’t see any similarities with any castle he’s ever come across. If anything, the kids are building a sandfort. 

Or, maybe, human castles are different.

Merfolk really are known for having a knack for exaggerations.

A splash of cold water to his ribs snaps Seonghwa out of his reverie. He turns to the direction it came from, already putting on his best scary look, assuming it was some of the young merboys that liked to pester him. He doesn’t expect, however, to see a dolphin — who looks quite smug about splashing the young merman.

“Oh, hello.” Seonghwa greets the dolphin. He always tended to be polite to other sea creatures — except eels. He hates eels. “Are you sure it’s ok for you to be here, little friend? It’s quite close to the shore.”

The animal makes a little noise in response, and Seonghwa understands what it meant. _ I’m just exploring, like you _, it’s what it sounded like. The merman nods, smiling.

“That’s nice. We’re both curious, then. Just be careful, alright? I’m not sure if I can help you if you get stuck in the sand without also endangering myself… Which would be no help at all.” The dolphin makes an agreeing noise. “We’ll be safe if we stay here. Do you have a name?”

Another noise, this time with added giddiness and maybe even pride: _ Milo _. 

“Nice to meet you, Milo. I’m Seonghwa.”

In what looks like a friendly gesture, Milo splashes Seonghwa once again. The merman retaliates, chuckling. He’s not versed in dolphin culture, so he’s not sure if splashing around actually _ means _ something, but Milo looks happy, so he indulges his new sea friend.

They stay silent for a while after that, and Seonghwa turns back to the kids playing in the sand. They’re still making a “sandcastle” — it looks like they’re testing how tall they can make the sculpture before it collapses. Seonghwa thinks they’re doing a good job, despite still not seeing the castle-ness of their creation.

Milo makes a little noise laced with curiosity. _ Why are you watching the tiny humans? _

“Oh, I find them intriguing.” the merman says. “Not only the little ones, but all of them. I know next to nothing about humans or human culture, but it’s fascinating to watch them. For example, did you know that what those kids are making is called a ‘sandcastle’?”

The dolphin seems confused. _ Doesn’t look like a castle _.

Seonghwa beams. “My thoughts exactly! But isn’t it cool? How their castle sculptures are different from our actual castles?”

Milo only makes a noncommittal noise.

“You don’t sound very fond of humans.”

_ That’s not it _ , Milo explains. _ They’re ok. You just seem to like them too much _.

“Oh, I see. Well, I’m guilty as charged. Maybe I do like humans a little too much.”

Silence settles in as Milo doesn’t respond to the statement.

“Hey, wanna know a secret?” Seonghwa asks, and the dolphin looks eager to listen. “I’ve been thinking… I’ve been thinking about what it’d be like to walk on land. And, well… Live there.”

Milo makes an almost theatrical shocked noise, and Seonghwa would laugh if he wasn’t talking about something serious.

“I mean it, buddy. Life with the merfolk, at least in our kingdom, hasn’t been treating me very well. You see”, the merman sighs. “Being a good singer is mandatory for us, right? It’s common sense: merpeople have enthralling, sweet voices. That’s where the sirens myths come from. But my voice… well. I actually thought it was okay — not the best, but enough — until my mom told me I sounded like, I remember her exact words, a dying whale. And, come on, I’ve heard those, _ you’ve _ heard those, and they’re not exactly pleasant sounds.”

His dolphin friends makes a sympathetic noise.

“Yeah. I have two siblings that have the prettiest voices in the whole kingdom, so you can imagine how things are at home.” Seonghwa grimaces at the memory. “I feel terrible. Eventually, I started coming here, on the surface, to clear my thoughts, and it’s been really good. You know, I can even go somewhere empty and actually _ sing _, because I won’t be bothering anyone.” his face falls as he continues. “But, after a while, I started to realize there’s nothing for me at home. Everyone makes sure to remind me that I don’t belong with the merfolk. So, honestly?” the merman shrugs. “I’d trade my tail for a pair of legs in a heartbeat.”

Seonghwa’s shoulders slump down as he lets out a heavy sigh. He lets out a surprised “oh” when he sees Milo come closer and tuck himself into the space between the merman’s arm and side to offer comfort.

“Thank you, Milo.” he says with a sad smile as his hand comes up to pet the dolphin light and carefully.

Both of them stay like that for a few moments, until Milo lets out a loud, surprised noise, like he had just remembered something, startling Seonghwa. The dolphin begins to talk nonstop, and it’s so fast and strung together the merman can’t decipher the whole sentences, only a few words here and there.

_ Help you. Legs. Wizard. Human. _

Hold up. Does that mean…

“Milo.” Seonghwa cuts off the dolphin’s blabbering. “You’re talking really fast, so I might have misheard but… Do you know someone who can help me?”

The dolphin makes happy noises, splashing around in the water. _ Yes! I know a human wizard who could trade your tail for legs. He’s good at enchantments. _

A smile blossoms on Seonghwa’s face. “Buddy, can you take me to him?” he asks, expectant.

_ I can! _Milo moves his head in what looks like the dolphin version of a nod. 

“Then, please, lead the way.”

In almost perfect sync, both dolphin and merman dive down into the water, and swimming to wherever this wizard is.

  
  
  


Seonghwa and Milo swim a relatively long way to get where the wizard supposedly lives. They’re still within the range of their kingdom, but it’s a part of the sea Seonghwa has never visited before.

“I don’t recognize this area.” he vocalizes his thoughts. “Have you really been here before?” he asks Milo.

_ Yes, I have. I remember it well. _

The young merman doesn’t know what to expect of the place — they’re still near the shore, only this time the patch of sand separating water and human land is really narrow and the beach is deserted. Seonghwa doesn’t know any human wizards, but this setting doesn’t seem like a nice one to live at.

“Buddy, are you sure he still lives here?”

_ He doesn’t live here-here. _ Milo explains. _ He lives nearby. But this is the closest we can get. _

“So, how do I talk to him? What if he never shows up?”

_ He will! When I met him, he told me that this place is the best to collect all sorts of items, and that he liked coming down here. So, he should show up. _

“We just need to wait, then.” Seonghwa rests his elbows against a rock that stood in front of them. “Hey, while we wait, tell me. How do you know a human wizard?”

_ Well, as you can see, I’m very curious about… Things. And, one day, I overheard a mermaid talking about her voice getting more hoarse each day, and a friend of hers suggested talking to this wizard. She agreed, and I came with them to see what it was all about. _

“So, you were eavesdropping. And then you followed them all the way here.”

_ When you put it like that, it doesn’t sound very nice. _

“Well.” Seonghwa shrugs. “I can’t really complain. If you hadn’t done all that, I wouldn’t be here waiting for the guy, so.”

_ The wizard ended up taking a liking to me. He’s a good human. _

“That’s nice to hear.” the merman smiles. “Did the mermaid’s voice get better?”

_ Yes! The enchantment worked perfectly. He’s also a good wizard. _

“I sure hope so.”

They wait for minutes, and minutes, and Seonghwa isn’t counting, but, if he was, he would’ve given up on it.

Waiting is just so… Boring.

Eventually, a tall figure shows up, walking on the sand towards the sea. 

Seonghwa turns to Milo. “Is that him?”

_ No, but I know this guy too. I think they’re friends. _ the dolphin makes a noise. _ It’s a shame he can’t understand me like you do. I wish I could call his name so he’d help us. _

“What’s his name?”

_ I think it’s Mingi. _

“If you’re wrong and I embarrass myself by calling the wrong name…”

Milo looks a little guilty. _ I’m almost positive. _

“Okay, fair enough.” Seonghwa turns to the shore, where the human is now crouched down on the sand, inspecting it delicately. The merman takes a deep breath and calls out the other’s name. “Hey! Mingi!”

The man looks up, startled, and squints a bit to see where the voice calling him is coming from. Once he spots Seonghwa and Milo, he waves.

“Hello! Who are you?” he screams back.

“My name is Seonghwa! I needed to ask something!”

Mingi looks puzzled for a second before his expression turns knowing. “Are you looking for Hongjoong?”

Seonghwa turns to Milo before responding. “Is that our wizard’s name?”

_ Positive. _

“Yes, I am!” the merman shouts. He knows he looks quite ridiculous right now, conversing by yelling, but it’s the only way he can talk to the human without getting too close to the shore. “Can you tell him to come here?”

“Sure! But it might take a while! He’s busy!”

“Alright, I can wait! But please pass him the message!”

“I will! Stay here, ‘kay?”

“‘Kay!” Seonghwa screams, a giggle threatening to spill out. Human expressions were so funny — they just took away parts of words, like Mingi did with “‘kay” or combined them together to form a new one. It was fascinating.

After the human leaves, he turns to Milo. “More waiting then, buddy. Hope you got some interesting stories to tell.”

If dolphins could sigh, Milo would probably be sighing right now.

  
  
  


Hongjoong is a very, _ very _ tired wizard. If he knew the exhaustion that comes with working with magic, he would’ve reserved his witchcraft abilities to domestic use only — a pair of enchanted hands to wash the pile of dishes that only seem to grow on the sink sounds like a great idea.

He plops down on his living room couch, throwing his backpack to his left, not caring where it lands. He toes off his sneakers and throws his head back to rest on the back cushion, eyes closed as a tired sigh leaves his lips.

Because, as if working as a wizard isn’t exhausting enough, Hongjoong is also a college student.

He knew he needed a backup plan, in case witchcraft wore him out, so he happily decided to study music in college. According to his aunt Moira, music isn’t a backup plan at all, and working with it is even more risky than working with magic, but it’s what makes Hongjoong happy — so aunt Moira can go back to her magical herbs and steady life with her accountant husband.

A notification sound comes from his phone, and he lifts it to his eye level to check what it is. It turns out to be an e-mail from his boss at the internship at a small music label — she’s letting him off his shift tonight because the producer he’s used to assist won’t stop by.

This internship works kind of like a job for Hongjoong. It’s paid, thank the Goddess, enough for him to pay for bigger expenses, the ones his witchcraft jobs couldn’t cover — there were many. He didn’t do much around the building, unable to create anything, but being in contact with your future work environment already did wonders to his experience.

Locking his phone and allowing a smile to grace his face, Hongjoong lets out another sigh and slowly slides on the couch until his legs are propped in an armrest and his head in resting on a couple of throw pillows. He closes his eyes, and is ready to take a quick nap and get some well-deserved rest, when Mingi, his best friend-slash-housemate-slash-assistant, shows up on the doorframe.

“Oh, you’re home!” he greets. “How was your day?”

“Exhausting. I had to perform a healing spell today, and you know how much those suck off my energy. That, and today’s lecture was ridiculously boring. I don’t think I have the strength to exist as a human being until tomorrow morning.”

Hongjoong lets out another heavy sigh for good measure.

“Uh, about that.” Mingi starts, sounding sheepish. “You have a new client.”

Oh no. “Can’t they wait? I’m pretty sure I’m physically unable to even get in touch with magic.”

“Well, I think he can wait for the job itself, but he needs to talk to you. It looks like a, uh, very delicate case.”

“What do you mean by that?” Hongjoong sits up, turning to face his friend. “Is he dying?”

“I don’t know, and I hope not, but the guy seemed pretty desperate.” Mingi frowns. “You see, I went down to the hidden beach to see if I could find those purple shells you like to use on potions, when I heard someone call my name, and there’s a guy in the water, on the deep end, with a dolphin by his side. I asked if he was looking for you, and he turned to the dolphin, _ talked _to it and then said yes. I mean, I’m familiar with magic, but that was a little weird. I told him to wait, because you were unavailable at the moment, and he’s probably still there. So, you know. At least talk to him?”

“Wait, did you say dolphin?” the wizard raises an eyebrow.

“That’s all you got from the story?”

“I think I know who he is.”

“The guy or the dolphin?”

“The dolphin.” Hongjoong gets up from the couch, smiling slightly. “Come on, let’s go to the beach.”

They arrive there shortly and, true to Mingi’s guess, the guy in the water is still there, waiting, apparently chatting with the dolphin that accompanies him. Both are too far for Hongjoong to make out distinct features, but he’s only met one dolphin who knew the way to the hidden beach.

“Milo!” he calls. The dolphin immediately turns to the sound of his voice, splashing around happily, recognizing the wizard. Milo starts to swim forward, but then seems to realize he can’t get too close to the shallow end of the shore without the risk of getting stuck. “It’s alright, buddy, stay there! I’ll find a way to get to you and your friend.”

Hongjoong is highly suspicious that the guy — supposedly, his client — also can’t come any closer without risking the same things as Milo would. So he thinks — how can he get within speaking range of those two?

He’s too tired to try any magical ways out, and he clearly can’t swim there, so the wizard considers giving up completely. Mingi, being the voice of reason, speaks up:

“Hey, Joong. I’m still not questioning how you’re also talking with the dolphin, really, I’m letting that slide.” he pauses. “But do you remember when I had a surfer phase?”

Hongjoong scoffs at the memory. “Of course! How could I forget? You still have that old board somewhere in our garage. Why are you asking me- Oh.” the wizard’s mouth hang open. “The board.”

“The board.”

“Tell them to hang on just a little more, I’ll be right back.”

With that, Hongjoong sprints back to the house, hoping he finds Mingi’s old board among the admittedly hopeless mess that populates their little garage.

  
  


A while later, Hongjoong is back, surfing board in hand. It’s old, but it’s mostly free of use because, despite having a surfer phase, Mingi never actually got to the surfing part. 

The wizard rolls the hem of his jeans until they reach knee level and steps into the water. He turns to Mingi.

“Hopefully this will be quick. Can you keep an eye on us, just in case?” he tilts his head to the side. “We’ll probably be safe anyway, but-“

“Sure! Go ahead and talk to your dolphin friend.” Mingi waves him forward. “I’ll be watching. Tell me all the gossip later.”

Hongjoong smiles. “I will.”

He moves forward, until the water reaches past his knees, splashing a little on his jeans. The hidden beach is known for not having any waves, like a saltwater pool, so the splashing is mostly caused by his own movements. The wizard takes a deep breath, places the board on the surface, and gets on top of it, sitting down with his legs still in the water for balance. 

He can see Milo and his potential client more clearly now — so he sets his eyes forward and, sitting on the board, swims in their direction.

  
  


Hongjoong’s suspicions about his client also being a sea creature are proven true when he approaches the duo — up close, he can see patches of scaly skin on the man’s cheekbones, shoulders and forearms. There’s a fish tail swishing underwater where his legs should be, deep red scales like the ones on the human half of his body.

A merman.

He wonders what a merman could need from him with such urgency. It’s clearly not a lost voice situation, since the guy was talking with ease before, so he doesn’t know what to expect.

Milo, the dolphin, greets him happily, splashing water on him. Hongjoong can’t understand what the dolphin says like the merman probably could, so he doesn’t really _ chat _ with Milo, rather keeping a one-sided conversation.

“It’s nice to see you again, buddy!” he smiles at the dolphin, and then turns fully to the merman to address him properly.

Hongjoong is pretty sure his jaw hangs open. Now, facing the guy fully, without splitting his attention between him and a hyper, talkative dolphin, the wizard is struck with the merman’s beauty. His dark hair is swept up, he has strong eyebrows, his full, plump lips are highly distracting, and his eyes… They’re so big and brown, and they look so full of wonder and innocent curiosity, Hongjoong is mesmerized.

The merman is probably one of the most, if not _ the _ most beautiful person he’s ever seen.

He clears his throat, embarrassed, and musters up what he hopes is a friendly smile. “Hi, I’m Hongjoong.” he extends his hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“I’m Seonghwa.” the merman smiles back, and oh, what a lovely sight. He then stares confused at the wizard’s hand. Milo says something in dolphin language, and Seonghwa seems to understand. “Oh. Sorry.” he shakes Hongjoong’s hand a little awkwardly. “Merpeople don’t shake hands, so I was a little confused. Sorry to leave you hanging.”

“It’s okay, don’t worry. So, what do you need? Why did you look for me?”

Seonghwa looks down and frowns. “I want to walk on land. Live as a human.”

Hongjoong blinks, a little stunned. That’s a pretty permanent decision, and a very demanding spell to perform, and he furrows his eyebrows.

“That’s… That’s very, uh, decisive?” he says, confused. “Do you have… Like, a reason for that? If it’s not too personal, of course.”

“Well, it is personal, so I’d rather not detail it right now.” the merman rubs his left arm, a little nervous. “I know it’s a no-take-back decision, but I don’t feel comfortable in my kingdom anymore. Living on land would work like a new beginning for me, let’s say that.”

It’s a valid decision in Hongjoong’s opinion. He wonders what could’ve made Seonghwa feel so bad among merfolk to make him want to live on land as a human. But that’s not for him to know, at least not yet, so he tunes out the curious part of his brain.

“I understand.” he smiles sympathetically at the merman. “Well, I’ll gladly grant your wish, but I’m very tired as of right now, so I don’t think I could do it immediately. Would you mind waiting until tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow is okay. No problem.” Seonghwa nods.

“Oh, and one more thing. About the payment for the enchantment. You wouldn’t happen to have human money, would you?”

The merman frowns. “No. Sorry.” then, he turns to Milo. “You didn’t mention payment when you suggested getting a wizard’s help.”

The dolphin makes a few defensive sounds, and Seonghwa sighs. “Yeah, I know. I’m not blaming you.” he faces Hongjoong. “I’m sorry I can’t pay you properly for your services. I know it’s your job, but I kind of really need this enchantment… Is there any other way I can help you in exchange?”

The wizard rubs the back of his head, thinking. Professionally, he knows he should just drop the job and maybe recommend another magic worker, but as a person Hongjoong feels urged to help Seonghwa. There’s a very strong emotion flooding those brown eyes, something deep and genuine, and he just knows that this merman needs _ his _ help. Not another wizard’s — his.

Hongjoong sighs, hoping he’s making the right decision. “After the spell is done and you start to live among humans, you’ll need a job, so you can pay me for the enchantment after you get your first paycheck, how does that sound?”

“I don’t really know what a paycheck is.” Seonghwa says, carefully. “But that sounds fine.”

“Oh my, you’re going to need a few lessons on human culture after this.” Hongjoong deadpans. “You’re clueless. No offense.”

“None taken. Humans and merfolk are very different from what I’ve gathered, so I admit to being clueless.” the merman shrugs. “Besides, I doubt you’d be any less clueless about merfolk culture, so…”

Ouch. Did this guys just roast Hongjoong? The small, playful smile on his face says so. The wizard laughs, glad that their conversation is not too awkward.

“You’re right about that.” he clasps his hands together and changes the subject. “So, I think we’ve settled everything. Can you come back tomorrow morning? I should be okay to do the enchantment then.”

Seonghwa nods. “Tomorrow morning is good. I’ll be here.”

“Great. I’ll get going now, then. See you tomorrow! And bye, Milo it was nice seeing you again!”

Milo makes his signature string of dolphin sounds and splashes Hongjoong to say goodbye.

“Have a safe trip back!” the wizard says.

“We will, thank you.” Seonghwa bows his head slightly. “You too.”

“Thanks.”

With that, they part ways — Seonghwa and Milo diving down to wherever the merfolk kingdom is located, and Hongjoong swimming back to firm land on the old surfing board. When he gets to the sand, Mingi helps him by carrying the board, placing it under his arm. They walk side by side back to their shared house.

“So, how did it go?” the younger asks.

“It was… Complicated.” Hongjoong runs a hand through his hair, tired. “Let’s get home first, I’ll tell you over dinner.”

  
  
  


The following morning finds Seonghwa on the same spot he was a few hours prior, watching the hidden beach from afar. Milo didn’t come with him this time, but he was sure to say his goodbyes to his dolphin friend and tell him to please stop by the hidden beach to visit.

The place is empty as ever, and the merman wonders if he’s too early. He’s not familiar with human timezones and sleeping habits, so he just hopes his idea of “morning” is the same as Hongjoong’s.

They probably are, because it doesn’t take long for the red-haired wizard to show up, looking small from where he stands on the sandy ground. He waves at Seonghwa, who waves back. He sees Hongjoong cup his hands around his mouth, getting ready to tell — well, shout — him something.

“Good morning! Are you ready for the enchantment? I’ve already prepared everything.”

The merman gulps, a tiny bit of uncertainty seeming to grow a little inside him. But he knows it’s the best way out for him. Funny how he’s never thought of the sea as anything of the likes of suffocating, but that’s the way he feels like — weighed down, overwhelmed, surrounded by people who looked like him, but didn’t see him as their own.

He shouts back an affirmative, ignoring the uncertain part of his brain.

On the beach, he sees Hongjoong dig through the messenger bag he's wearing and take out what looks like a necklace. The object is placed on his neck and, in a matter of seconds, the wizard is levitating.

Seonghwa doesn't hold back the "wow" that escapes from his lips as he sees the other man push himself forward, hovering only a few inches above the surface of the water. There's no other way to describe it — Hongjoong is flying in his direction.

The wizard stops when he reaches a big rock near Seonghwa, hovering above it. He takes off the necklace and drops down, like gravity was switched back on again. Hongjoong smiles at him as he sits down on the rock.

“Hello.” he greets, friendly.

“Oh. Hello.” the merman says, still amazed by the trick. “How did you do that?”

Hongjoong twists the necklace in his hands. “Ah, I didn’t do much. The necklace does everything.” he pauses. “Are you really curious about how it works?”

Seonghwa nods.

“Okay, then. Well, it’s obviously a levitation necklace. My grandmother made it for me.” the wizard taps the amethyst charm dangling from the object. “This is a canalyzing crystal. This little fellow canalyzes my magical energy to whatever the purpose of the object is. If it was, say, a weapon, my energy would be used to fuel it. That’s kind of how it works.”

“That’s so interesting!” the merman exclaims. “I really thought you were making yourself float.”

“Levitating and floating demand very complex enchantments — hence why my grandma was the only one able to make me such a necklace.”

Seonghwa nods, understanding. “And, uh, what about my enchantment?” he asks, hesitantly. “Is it difficult? Will it hurt?”

“It’s certainly not the easiest one I’ve done, but it’s not too hard either. From the looks of it, it’ll be tiring, but there aren't many separate processes, meaning: less things to confuse myself with.” Hongjoong explains. "About hurting, I really don't know, but I can assure it'll be at least a little weird. I mean, you'll be losing your tail and… stuff."

The merman's shoulders slump, and he grits his teeth, nervous. The wizard, sensing the fear starting to bubble inside of him, takes out a small vial from his messenger bag.

"I know it sounds scary." he says, sympathetically. "I thought about the uncertainty of the enchantment, so I brought this." 

He hands Seonghwa the vial, and the merman inspects it carefully. It's a little translucent, and tinted orange. 

"It's a sleeping draught." Hongjoong clarifies. "It lasts for about six hours, so if you drink it before I perform the enchantment, you won't feel anything if it happens to be painful, and you won't be weirded out by the transformation."

"Oh, that's smart." Seonghwa smiles, then furrows his brows. "But wait, how are you going to get me out of here? I need to stay in the water while I'm in this form, but I assume that I won't swim as easily after I get, uh…" he makes a hand motion with his index and middle fingers, mimicking legs walking. "What are these called? I forgot."

"Legs?"

"Yeah, that. I won't swim as easily after I get my legs. Especially if I'm under the sleeping draught."

Hongjoong's face blanks at that. "I… Didn't think about that. Sorry."

Seonghwa rests his cheek on his palm, thinking. "Well, if you wouldn't mind carrying me…"

"If _ I _ don't mind?" the wizard chuckles, good-naturedly. "Would _ you _ mind me carrying you?"

"Of course I wouldn't mind. But I might be heavy. That's why I asked you."

"I think it's the only solution." Hongjoong says, sheepish. "Sorry I can't provide more comfortable ways of transportation…"

"No problem." Seonghwa smiles. "Besides, won't I be unconscious because of the draught?"

"Oh, you're right. So you'll drink it?"

"Yes, I don't see why not." the merman nods. "It was a very smart solution for the… Complications the enchantment might have."

"Thank you." the wizard bows his head, a little shy. "Shall we, uh, get started? Do you need time to relax, or something?"

"No, let's do it now." Seonghwa says, resolute. "Before some untrustworthy part of my brain makes me regret it."

"Wait, regret it? We can't do it if you're not sure!"

"I _ am _sure, I'm just scared because it's a big change. So I get tricked into thinking I don't actually want this, when I do."

"It's a very permanent change. You need to be 100% sure, because I don't know if I can reverse it."

"You're not really helping my case." the merman says. "I want this. Let's do it."

Hongjoong lets out a breath. "Alright, before you drink the draught, I need you to give me permission to perform the enchantment. Because, you know, you'll be unconscious, so I need previous consent."

"Oh, sure. You have full permission to perform the enchantment."

"Okay." the wizard nods. "You can drink now. I'll take you to my house before the enchantment — I have a bathtub, so I'll fill it and put you there so your body stays comfortable during the process."

"What's a bathtub?" Seonghwa raises an eyebrow.

"It's like a human-sized bowl that you fill with water. People sometimes use it to wash themselves." Hongjoong explains. "Since you need contact with water in your merman form, it might be better to transform inside the water as well."

"Oh, that makes sense. You really prepared everything." the merman muses, eyes wide. 

"Not everything. I forgot about how I would get you out of the ocean."

"Details, details. So, can i drink this?" he lifts the vial.

"Yup. Go ahead, take your time."

Seonghwa lifts the vial to his mouth and tips it back, all its contents spilling into his mouth. It tastes overly sweet and artificial, but not necessarily unpleasant, so he has no trouble drinking all the liquid. He blinks, and for a couple of seconds nothing changes. Then, he feels his eyelids become heavy, threatening to close on their own, and a sleepy haze cloud his mind.

“I feel sleepy already.” the merman drawls out, voice also under the effects of the potion. He yawns.

Hongjoong chuckles. “Yeah, it was a strong brew. C’mere.” he leans forward, still sitting on the rock, and extends his arms in front of him. “Hold onto me so you don’t sink after you fall asleep.”

The other does so, his grip probably not too tight due to his body going into sleep mode.

It’s the last thing Seonghwa remembers doing before falling into a dreamless sleep.

  
  


When Seonghwa wakes up, he still feels like he’s in the water.

His first instinct is to panic, thinking the spell didn’t work and Hongjoong had abandoned him in the ocean. Then, he notices his surroundings and calms down — he’s indoors, in a small room with off-white walls, and he’s sat down on a concave installation filled with water. _ That must be the bathtub _, he reasons. If he’s sitting in the so-called bathtub, the enchantment must have worked.

He gets the confirmation when he pays attention to the lower half of his body.

There’s not a specific way to describe the feeling of having a fishtail, so Seonghwa can’t verbally compare the sensations of then and now, but he’s sure of one thing: he feels weird. For starters, he used to have _ one _ tail. Now, he has _ two _ legs. That is already unfamiliar on its own. Also, when he had a tail, it had fins, that were only sort of _ there _, existing — now, he has feet attached to his legs, and those five miniature fingers sticking from each foot. He can feel all of it, and it’s kind of overwhelming.

Seonghwa lifts one leg out of the water to take a look. He’s not sure what he expected, but it looks perfectly normal. He moves his foot, bends his knee, wiggles his little foot-fingers (he’s pretty sure they have a name of their own — he just doesn’t know what it is), getting accustomed to his new legs.

Remembering another important thing, Seonghwa lifts his hands to the sides of his neck. His gills are gone. He touches his cheekbones and shoulders and looks at his forearms — the scales that used to merge with his skin on those spots also don’t exist anymore.

If Seonghwa looked in the mirror, he’d see a human facing him back.

He would be lying if he said that didn’t frighten him to a certain point. It’s mostly because of the change — he’s never experienced such a big turn of events before, and it feels even greater because it involves himself directly, after a decision he’s made. Seonghwa spent the last two years or so wishing he could run away from his kingdom, from his people, to restart his life among humans who, hopefully, would make him feel more at home.

Now that he finally got what he wanted, he supposes it’ll take a while for him to adjust.

All he knows about humans is what he gathered from watching people on the beach — which is not much at all. He doesn’t know anything about their culture, their habits, and he now has to live as one, go out, walk around (with his brand new pair of legs), get a _ job _ . He doesn’t even know _ who _ will hire him, _ if _ anyone will, and he currently doesn’t even have a place to stay. So many factors point to negativity, and it’s only natural that Seonghwa’s brain will pick up on it and read it through fear-stained lenses.

Which is okay. He’s surrounded by uncertainty, but he knew what he was doing when he searched for a wizard to turn his tail into a pair of legs. And, while it might be scary, that blanket of uncertainty shouldn’t stop him from doing anything. On the contrary — to eliminate this feeling, Seonghwa should do whatever he could: research on human culture, apply for random jobs, look for a place to stay, all of it. He’s the only one who can fight this cloud of mist — this _ temporary _ cloud of mist, he thinks to himself — and start over his life, this time here.

A couple of knocks on the door snap him out of his own thoughts.

"Seonghwa? You awake?" it's Hongjoong's voice, friendly as ever.

"Yes. Just awoken." he answers.

"Can I come in? I have a towel and a change of clothes for you."

Oh. Clothes. Seonghwa had forgotten about those.

"Yeah, come in."

The door opens and Hongjoong walks in, carrying a few pieces of cloth on his arms. He puts them down on top of the sink counter and waves at Seonghwa, smiling.

"How are you feeling?" he asks.

"I'm okay. It's a little weird, you know, having legs, but that's expected. I'll get used to it."

"You don't feel dizzy, hurt, nothing?"

"No. Should I?"

"No, no. It's just that large scale enchantments sometimes have side effects. I'm glad this wasn't the case."

"Oh. I'm glad too. I don't feel any of those things you mentioned."

"Okay. Good. So." Hongjoong picks back up the stack of clothes he brought. "These are for you. There's a towel for you to dry yourself, and clothes. You probably don't know how to put them on, though."

"Yeah, I really don't."

"No problem. It's not that hard, look." the wizard takes a garment out of the pile. "God, this is awkward. This is a piece of underwear, you wear it under the actual clothes."

"Okay."

"So, see this?" he points to a small white square made of fabric, attached to the "underwear". "It's called label. The label stays on the back of most clothes, so you can use it to guide you to what's the front and the back. Once you found the back, it's easy: underwear and pants have a hole for each leg, so just put them there. Got it?"

"I… I guess?" Seonghwa says, uncertain. Clothes sound complicated.

"I promise it's not that bad." Hongjoong chuckles and holds out another garment, that kind of looks like the underwear, but bigger. "These are sweatpants. They're easy to wear; there are no buttons, no strings, just put it on."

"Okay. I think I can do that."

"The shirt is a bit more complicated, so I'll help you with it once you're done putting on the underwear and sweatpants. I'll leave for a while to give you privacy, alright? You can call me when you're done."

Seonghwa nods, and the wizard leaves, closing the door behind him. 

"Fine. Let's do this."

He gets up from the bathtub and reaches for the towel. It's soft and fluffy as he dries his legs, and he puts it back where it was after he's done.

Standing on his new legs is not as easy as he thought it would be - they're wobbly and unstable, and Seonghwa needs to support himself with one hand on the wall.

Putting on clothes is, indeed, not that difficult. He sits on the edge of the bathtub in order not to fall while getting dressed, and only messes up where each leg should go once. The sweatpants are very comfortable and warm - he supposes everything will be warm, since he's used to not wearing anything. After he's dressed, Seonghwa wobbles his way to the door and opens it, sticking his head out.

"I'm done!" he calls out, hoping Hongjoong can hear him. 

"I'll be there in a sec!" comes the reply.

It takes more than "a sec", but soon Hongjoong is there. 

"Hi again!" he greets and takes a look at Seonghwa. "Oh, the sweatpants fit well. They're mine, so I was afraid they would be too small since, you know, I'm small. I lent you my baggiest pair just in case. But tell me, how does it feel to wear clothes for the first time?"

"A tad too warm." Seonghwa ponders. "But alright. They're comfy."

"Awesome. Let me help you with the shirt." the wizard picks up a red t-shirt with a band logo in the front.

"How do I even put this on?"

Hongjoong chuckles. "I know it seems tricky. But you can do it."

With only a bit of struggling, Seonghwa manages to put the shirt on. It's a little tight on the shoulders, but not uncomfortable. He wiggles his a little, to get accustomed with the constant feeling of fabric over his skin.

"Everything alright?" Hongjoong asks.

"Yeah. Fine." the other nods. "So… What now?"

"Do you want to eat something? It's past lunchtime, so you might be hungry. Do merpeople eat?"

Seonghwa chuckles. "We do. But it's merpeople food, not human food."

"I, uh, don't have merpeople food here." Hongjoong rubs the back of his neck. "Sorry."

"Oh, I wouldn't expect you to. Whatever you have is fine, I'll have to get accustomed to it anyway."

"Well, then, let's go to the kitchen. Follow me."

"Uh, about that." Seonghwa frowns. "I still haven't got the hang of, uh, walking and standing. So I might be a little slow."

"Ah, I see. You can lean on me for support if you want…?" the wizard suggests.

"I don't want to bother you. I can lean on the wall just fine."

"It's no bother, really. But only if you feel comfortable.”

“If you really don’t mind, I’d appreciate it.” Seonghwa smiles faintly and walks to stand closer to Hongjoong, leaning wrapping an arm around his shoulder. 

It’s an unusual position, because Hongjoong is smaller than him, but he supports his weight just fine, and Seonghwa walks with more ease. The wizard is also _ warm _, and he’s not sure if this is a common trait for humans or if it’s just Hongjoong. Either way, it’s appreciated — like the clothes, it’s a comfortable type of warm.

“It’s so unfair that I helped you get those legs and made you taller than me.” Hongjoong grumbles, but the smile on his face shows that he’s just joking around. “This is humiliating.”

“If it helps, I probably was already taller than you before I had the legs.” Seonghwa responds in the same joking manner.

“Excuse me?” the wizard turns to him, raising his eyebrows in mock-scandal. “I didn’t sign up for this slander.”

The other just laughs. 

They arrive at the kitchen, and Hongjoong helps Seonghwa sit down by the kitchen table and starts setting up their meal. In a matter of minutes, they both have their own plates full, and start to eat.

Contrary to what _ The Little Mermaid _ portrayed, Seonghwa knows how to use a fork and a knife, and it’s funny to watch him taste “human food” for the first time — he takes a small, tentative bite, and chews carefully. He often compares something with the taste of merpeople food, and Hongjoong has no idea what the names he mentions mean, but he indulges the other man.

“Did you make this?” Seonghwa asks, lifting his fork in a curious manner. 

“Yeah. It’s a simple dish, no big deal.”

“It tastes so good.” he smiles. “Congrats.”

“Thank you.”

Silence settles in.

“Okay, I need to ask you something.” Seonghwa states, putting the cutlery down. “Do you have any idea on how can I survive in this world? Like, where will I live, where can I look for a job, I’m…” he chuckles, a little bitter. “I’m clueless.”

Hongjoong sets his lips in a thin line before answering. “I- I don’t know.” he frowns. “I mean, maybe if I think about it, and we look for something together, but, like, right now I have no idea how to help. I’m sorry.”

The other sighs heavily. “Not your fault. I brought this on myself, really.”

“Unless… Well. You could stay here.”

Seonghwa’s jaw drops. “You’re not being serious.”

“I am! It would be a tight fit for sleeping, since there are only two rooms, and you’d eventually have to pay rent and help around, but-“

“I’ll sleep on the floor if it comes to it! Would you really let me stay?”

“Of course! I’m sure Mingi wouldn’t mind either. You seem like a pretty chill person to live with.”

“I-“ Seonghwa covers his face with his hands, a little too awestruck. “I have no words. I can’t thank you enough.”

“No need to thank me that many times.” Hongjoong dismisses it with a hand. “Just help around and we’re even.”

“Oh, shut up, I don’t think we’ll ever be even. This is… You’re doing a lot.”

“I’m aware.” the wizard grins. “But it’s fine. I couldn’t possibly leave you to your own devices when I had a perfect roof you could sleep under.”

“Aren’t you scared, though?” Seonghwa raises an eyebrow. “I mean, I’ a stranger. You know next to nothing about me. Even then, you don’t have a problem with letting me into your home?”

“I don’t have a problem with strangers as a whole.” Hongjoong shrugs. “As for the possibility you could pose a threat, I have that covered — protection spells all over the house. ‘_ Any malicious and harmful intents must leave immediately’ _ , it’s what they say. Well, in general. It’s a bit more intricate. But it works, so no evil comes in. If you _ had _ any intention to harm anyone, if you had an evil plan inside your head, you wouldn’t even have been able to enter.”

“That’s… Powerful.” the other man says, surprised.

“And, can I tell you a secret?” the wizard leans closer, one hand curved on the side of his mouth like a gossipy high schooler about to whisper some fresh news. “Milo trusts you, and I trust his judgement, so I automatically trust you.”

“You placed your trust in me because of a dolphin?”

“I trust you because of both my perception of you and my protection spells. Milo’s opinion is just reassurance.”

Seonghwa chuckles. “I’m flattered. I don’t know how can you have ‘a perception’ of me after so little time, but I’m happy it’s a positive one.”

“Magic users are mostly very intuitive. So I guess I can pick up on a few more things than non-magic humans could, at first glance.” Hongjoong points a fork at Seonghwa. “And you give off nice-person-vibes.”

“Thank you, I try.” the other bows his head. 

“Well.” the wizard drums his fingers on the tabletop, changing the subject. “Are you done with your food? I was thinking we could talk about some important stuff in the living room before I need to leave for work.”

Seonghwa nods, picking up his plate. “That sounds good. Do you want me to wash the dishes?”

“I don’t think it would be very safe for you to do it while you’re still having trouble with your legs.” Hongjoong says, concerned.

“I could do it sitting on a chair.”

“Too much logistics. Don’t worry about it for now.” the wizard waves the subject off, getting up and taking both plates into his hands, putting them in the sink afterwards. He then approaches Seonghwa and extends a hand. “Shall we?”

The taller accepts it and gets up, stumbling a little but steadying himself faster than last time. Together, they make their way to the living room and sit down on the couch — well, Hongjoong sits down. Seonghwa plops himself down on the cushions like a ripe fruit falling from a tree branch.

He notices the wizard next to him stifling a giggle and crosses his arms. “Hey, don’t laugh at me, I’m still adapting.”

“I’m sorry. You just reminded me of my cousin when he was little. He used to do the same thing when sitting down.”

“Are you comparing me to a baby human?”

“Not _ you _ as a whole, no.” Hongjoong shakes his head, embarrassed. “But that action specifically, yes, I’m sorry. I won’t laugh at that again.”

“Well, I guess it _ was _a little funny.” Seonghwa uncrosses his arms and smiles. “You’re forgiven.” he tilts his head to the side. “What did you want to talk about?”

“Just… Settle a few things.” the wizard hugs his legs to his chest and turns to face the other man better. “Like, you need to get accustomed to your new legs, and you _ really _ need to learn some essentials about human culture, so we’re dedicating a few days for that. But after this adapting period, we’re gonna have to find you a job, for example, and unfortunately it’s really hard to have one without a degree, so. There’s our first problem.”

“But I do have a degree.”

“You’re kidding.” Hongjoong deadpans.

“I’m not! What, you thought merpeople didn’t go to college?”

“To be honest, I never considered, uh, the details of merpeople education.” he lets out an embarrassed chuckle. “What did you study?”

“Literature.”

“Oh, that’s cool. Too much reading for me to consider, but cool.”

“I like reading.” Seonghwa smiles at the memory, but his expression falls quickly. “Wait, this is pointless.”

“Why?”

“I only received a physical copy of my declaration. And it’s obviously still in my old kingdom, so. I can’t show it to anyone who asks for it.”

“Shouldn’t there be a digital version of it?”

“Merfolk technology is quite different from human technology. Doesn’t work like that.” Seonghwa throws his head back and facepalms. “Guess we’re back to square one.”

“Let’s not worry about that right now.” Hongjoong says. “We’ll figure something out. Now, I have something to ask. It might be silly.”

“What is it?”

“Are you, like, centuries old? Are merpeople immortal?”

Seonghwa laughs, hiding it behind his hand. “No, we’re not. We tend to live around 150 years, best case scenario.” he stops. “Is that too long for humans?”

“Yeah.” the wizard nods. “If a human reaches 100 years old, we consider them very old. And it doesn’t happen often.”

“Oh, so there’s not _ that _ much of a difference. Very few merpeople live until 150, and when they do, it’s mostly members of the richer families.”

“Figures. What about you?”

“What about me?”

“How old are you?”

“I’m 22.”

“We’re around the same age, then!” Hongjoong beams. “I turn 22 in a few months.”

Seonghwa furrows his eyebrows. “I’m going to sound stupid but… How much is a month?”

The wizard winces internally. There’s _ so much _ he needs to teach about human culture.

“A month has 30 or 31 days. It depends. And February only has 28 days, but in some years it has 29, so the year becomes a day longer.”

The taller man blinks. “Humans are so complicated.” he deadpans.

“Hey, I didn’t make those rules. Some ancient old dudes created our calendar like this, and we need to accept it.”

“Some ancient old dudes created the merfolk calendar too, so I guess we’re on the same page. But at least mine was simpler.” he smiles teasingly.

“Okay, you win, humans are complicated.” Hongjoong lifts his hands in mock-defeat. “Now, tell me. What’s it like to live in the ocean?”

  
  
  


Hongjoong and Seonghwa talk for a while, and eventually Mingi gets home from his classes and joins them, sitting cross-legged on the floor because the couch doesn’t fit the three of them. Just like Hongjoong had said, Mingi doesn’t have a problem with Seonghwa living with them — in fact, he says the new company will be very appreciated.

Eventually, Hongjoong needs to go to his internship, so he leaves the other two to get acquainted and promises to bring some takeout when he gets back.

He spends a good portion of his time thinking about how Seonghwa is holding up. He tries not to, and doesn’t let his worries take the best of him, but they’re always at the back of his mind while he works, nagging at him, trying to deviate his concentration.

When he’s free to go, Hongjoong passes by his and Mingi’s favorite takeout place to order a late dinner for the three of them, and texts the younger to let him know he’s already on his way back.

Opening the door to the living room, he’s met with a peculiar sight. Seonghwa is curled up on the couch watching Steven Universe, eyes wide with curiosity, while dressed in patterned pajama pants — probably Mingi’s, because the hem of the pants go past his ankle — and a completely dissonant yellow hoodie, which Hongjoong recognizes from his own closet. There are Uno cards scattered on the floor along with jenga blocks, a stack of three books on the coffee table and one on Seonghwa’s lap. Mingi sits on the other side of the couch, typing something on his laptop.

“Okay.” Hongjoong starts. “What did I miss?”

The others stop what they’re doing to greet him. Mingi takes out the single earbud he was wearing and closes whatever he was working on. “Hey, Joong.”

“Welcome back.” Seonghwa nods his head, smiling.

“You didn’t miss much.” his younger housemate continues.

“Doesn’t seem like it.”

“It might look like chaos and disorder right now but I promise you nothing happened.”

“We just played games.” Seonghwa explains.

Hongjoong quirks up an eyebrow, looking accusingly at Mingi.

“I thought, since Seonghwa is going to have to learn pretty much everything about humans, why not start with fun stuff? So I taught him how to play Uno, but he kept winning every round so I gave up and we moved to Jenga, in which he also beat me at, so I felt humiliated and we stopped playing. I turned on the TV and it was on that cartoon channel you like to watch, so we left it at that. It’s background noise for me while I work on this essay.”

“Are you sure this wasn’t an excuse for _ you _ to play games and procrastinate your writing?” the wizard grins.

“No, it was an act out of the kindness of my heart to help our new friend.”

“Liar. Serves you right, losing every round.” he turns to Seonghwa. “Did you have fun?”

“I did!” the other nods. “Uno was confusing at first, but I liked it.”

“You should be proud of yourself.” Hongjoong smiles at him. “Mingi is, like, king of Uno, and you beat him at it. That’s very impressive.”

“Sorry about that, Mingi.” Seonghwa comforts the taller boy, looking actually apologetic.

“It’s fine, dude. Some days you win, some days you lose. Circle of life, all that.”

Hongjoong doesn’t point out that this is not the definition of “circle of life” and, instead, asks about Seonghwa’s new set of clothes.

“Oh, that.” the older looks at the hoodie he’s wearing. “I went back to the bathtub to wash myself and, since it’s getting late, Mingi let me borrow one of his sleeping clothes. And then I asked for something warm to wear on my torso, so he said I could borrow one of your, uh…” he snaps his fingers, eyes closed, trying to remember the word. “Hoodies. Yes, hoodies. And I chose this one.” he turns to Hongjoong. “I hope you don’t mind that I did it? I can return it and wear something else”

“No, no, it’s okay. I don’t mind.” the wizard clasps his hands together and smiles. “I’m glad you two got along and had fun. Now, how do we feel about dinner?”

  
  


They clear up space on the coffee table and eat dinner together. Seonghwa has some trouble with the wooden chopsticks and ends up using a fork to eat the Chinese food Hongjoong had brought them. After they finish, the three housemates stay in the living room, Hongjoong and Mingi doing college work on their laptops and Seonghwa reading the book that was resting on his lap while he watched TV before.

From where he’s seated on the floor, Hongjoong tries to sneak a peek and see what book the older is reading without having to interrupt him, but Seonghwa’s hands holding the book hide most of the cover’s content. He does, however, notice the wizard trying to recognize what he’s reading, and shows him the cover.

“_ 20,000 leagues under the sea? _” Hongjoong questions.

“The title caught my attention when I saw it on your shelf.” Seonghwa points to the old shelf tucked into one of the living room corners, where fiction books are mixed with magic books and some music books. Then, he points to the small pile of books that are back on top of the coffee table. “I also picked _ Pride and Prejudice _ , _ A Study in Red _ and _ The Lightning Thief _. I thought reading human books would help me with your habits, culture or, at least, vocabulary.”

“That’s smart. Though I don’t know if 20,000 leagues will be very helpful — Captain Nemo is hardly a functioning human.”

“Hey, don’t spoil the book.”

The wizard chuckles. “Sorry. How do you like it so far?”

“I’m enjoying it. I’m writing down some words I can’t understand the meaning of even with the context, so I can look them up later. I think they’re mostly human objects, things we don’t have in merfolk culture.” Seonghwa muses. “Do you have a dictionary?”

“I think I do, somewhere. But wouldn’t it be easier if you just googled the words? You’d have images to illustrate them, too.”

“What’s google?” the older asks, confused.

“Oh, my.” Hongjoong sighs. “Another thing we really need to teach you about: human technology. Or at least the basics.”

“You’re right. I’ve been watching you and Mingi use your, uh, small computers, and they’re really different from the ones I grew up with. Your television is very similar to our screeners, though.”

“We call those small computers ‘laptops’.” the wizard smiles. “I’ll teach you how to use one, don’t worry.”

“Laptops, underwear, bathtub…” Seonghwa muses. “Human denominations are so literal sometimes. If there are more expressions like that, I’ll learn faster than I thought.”

This remark makes Hongjoong snort-laugh. “I never thought about it like that, but it’s true. Some of our expressions _ are _ very literal.”

The other man laughs along, a little quieter, and they slip back into silence. Sneaking a glance to the side, Hongjoong notices Mingi has already drifted off to sleep, head lolled to the side and one hand still resting on his laptop’s keyboard. He shakes his head at his friend, and gets up to wake him so he can move to his room and avoid a sore neck.

The younger bids goodnight to his two housemates and walks tiredly to him room. A couple of minutes later, the distinct sound of a body slumping down on the mattress can be heard, and Hongjoong knows it — Mingi will sleep like a rock until who-knows-when tomorrow.

He stifles a yawn, sleep also starting to creep his way into him and, like a chain reaction, he sees Seonghwa rubbing his eyes.

“Tired?” he asks.

“Yeah, I think.” the older puts the book down. “This is around the time I used to go to sleep.”

“Ah, so merpeople sleep habits are similar to humans’.” Hongjoong gets up and offers a hand to help Seonghwa do the same. “You can sleep in my bed tonight, I’ll take the couch.”

“What? No!” Seonghwa protests. “I can sleep on the couch just fine.”

“Seonghwa, your tail turned into a pair of legs today, _ and _you took a nap in a bathtub.” the wizard states. “Sleep in my bed and tomorrow, if you’re more stable on your feet, we’ll talk about you settling on the couch.”

“You’re really convincing. Fine, I’ll take the bed, but only for tonight.”

He takes Hongjoong’s hand and gets up, the shorter man helping him walk to his room. Once he’s inside, he sits down on the bed and inspects it — dark blue comforter and white pillows, and a small fluffy _ thing _ that looks like a yellow, one-eyed creature wearing a blue garment and black shoes. He picks it up by its tiny leg.

“What’s this?”

“It’s a plushie.” Hongjoong explais with a smile. “They’re objects that have the same nature as a pillow, but they’re usually smaller and come in all shapes and colors. Some are animal-shaped, some are nature-shaped, some mimic cartoon characters — like this one you’re holding.”

“And what do you use plushies for?”

“Mostly decoration, but you can hug them to sleep if they’re soft enough. You can hug this one, if you’d like.”

Seonghwa nods, still looking at the plushie with an air of suspicion. He then hugs it to his chest, testing the feeling, and nods again, approvingly. It’s an unusually endearing sight. Yawning, he starts to lie down and get under the comforter, and Hongjoong takes it as his cue to leave.

When he’s about to reach the door, his name is called.

“Hongjoong.”

He turns back. “Yeah?”

“Thank you. For doing all this.”

“Don’t mention it. It’s no problem.”

“Still. Thank you so, so much.” the small smile on Seonghwa’s face is so genuine, he’s not sure if he’s seen this amount of emotion condensed into such a tiny gesture before.

“You’re welcome.” the wizard smiles back almost automatically. “Sleep well. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight. Sleep well you too.”

Hongjoong turns of the light and closes the door, and Seonghwa swears he doesn’t see the sleep coming. Just like after drinking the draught earlier, he slips into darkness in a matter of seconds.

  
  
  


When Seonghwa wakes up, he stays in bed for a few minutes, getting used to his new surroundings. He yawns and stretches his arms, sitting up and getting out of bed right after. As expected, he wobbles on his feet — it’s still early and he didn’t use his legs for the past hours, se he supposes that’s just how it is. He’ll get better with time.

Stumbling towards the nearest wall as fast as he can, Seonghwa walks out of the room, following the noises coming from the living room — probably the TV. When he gets there, he’s met with the sight of Hongjoong sitting on the couch, hair messy and a blanket around his shoulders, holding some device with his hands while looking at the screen with a concentrated expression. 

“Good morning.” Seonghwa greets, voice still rough from sleep.

Hongjoong looks at him. “Oh, hi, good morning.” he turns back to the screen, presses something on the device he’s holding and the screen freezes, a small bubble with the word “paused” appearing. “Did you sleep well?”

“Yes, I did. What about you?”

“Same.”

“You’re lying. You were probably uncomfortable the whole night.”

“Nah, not too much. I’ve slept in worse places.”

Seonghwa lets out a “hmph”, still not buying it, but letting the subject go. “What time is it?” he asks.

“Almost eleven.” the wizard says. “Why?”

“Is that too late?”

“Only a little. But don’t worry, today is a Saturday.”

“I assume Saturdays are rest days? Merfolk have different names for the days of the week.”

“Yup, Saturdays and Sundays are called a ‘weekend’.” Honjoong’s lips curl into a smile. “Again, another literal expression. They’re the last two days of our week.”

“That’s convenient.” Seonghwa sits down on the couch beside the other. “So, today and tomorrow are meant for rest?”

“Well, mostly. It’s common for people to work on those days, depending on what their work is. I, for example, have work later today, but not tomorrow.” the shorter says. “But don’t worry, you won’t be alone today either. Mingi works part-time on the weekends, but I’m pretty sure he’s on break today.”

“Oh, nice. I wouldn’t trust myself alone on human environment yet.”

Hongjoong laughs. “You’ll be a master of human environments in no time.” he gets up from the couch. “Breakfast?”

  
  


Human breakfast is surprisingly similar to merpeople breakfast — lighter food and more room for sweet tastes — and Seonghwa enjoys it a lot. He offers to do the dishes, again, but Hongjoong tells him he doesn’t need to, not until he’s good to stand on both legs without wobbling.

The wizard leads them back to the living room after he finishes eating and they plop down on the couch again. He exits the frozen screen that was being exhibited on the television and opens another screen full of colorful square icons. He uses the device from earlier to select a black and red icon, which opens another screen. Seonghwa watches it all attentively, but still not understanding.

“What are you doing?” he finally asks.

“Setting up your first lesson on human culture.” Hongjoong answers with a grin. “I was thinking, and a good way to do it is using movies. Are you familiar with those?”

“I am, actually.” Seonghwa nods. “They’re called movies for us, too.”

“Awesome. So you might know their concept and contents can vary, right?”

“Yeah. Merfolk movies were mostly boring, though.”

“Ouch. I hope you like human movies better, then. We can stop watching if you don’t.”

“Okay. So, how will the movies teach me?”

“I chose two movies that portray human routines, like a slice-of-life kind of thing.” the wizard explains. “That way, you get a glimpse of what we live. In a way. It might be true to our general reality, but they’re still fiction. They’re not, like, textbook renditions of humans, but they do a good job of showcasing daily life. Does that make sense?”

“It does. So, what’s our first movie?”

The first movie is a comedy, and Seonghwa enjoys it. He doesn’t get most of the jokes, but the visual gags are funny enough, and the story does teach him stuff about human lives. Some are harder to grasp than others, but he manages — or so he thinks.

When the movie ends, Hongjoong quickly sets up the second one, looking a tad happier than before.

“Okay, so.” he starts. “Now we’re gonna watch one of my favorite movies: _ The Devil Wears Prada _.”

Seonghwa blinks, confused. “The what wears what?”

The wizard snorts. “You’ll get it after the movie starts. I’ll ask you about both movies when our session ends, what do you think?”

“That’s fine by me.”

“Cool. Aw, I really hope you like this one.” Hongjoong almost bounces on his seat when the first scene comes on, like a kid waiting to go to the amusement park.

The movie goes on, and everything is quiet and peaceful, both of them paying close attention. Until there’s a kiss scene, and Seonghwa shrieks.

“What _ are _ they doing?” 

Hongjoong pauses the movie and turns to the other. “What?”

“That. What they just did. The thing with the mouths.” the older points to the screen. “What was that?”

“It’s a kiss.” the wizard says, hesitant. “You… Know what a kiss is, right?”

“No!”

“Wait… Do merpeople, like… Not kiss?”

“No! Why would we do that?”

“Oh my Goddess.” Hongjoong’s eyes widen, now curious. “What do merpeople do when they like each other, like, as a couple?”

“I- I don’t know, I’ve never- I’ve never _ been _ with someone, but from what I’ve seen we just… Hold hands, sometimes. Maybe hug. And show affection without the need for physical contact.”

“That’s… Shocking, to say the least.” Hongjoong chuckles. “Kissing is such a trivial thing for humans, I never thought it wouldn’t be a thing for different cultures.”

“Touching your mouth to somebody else’s is _ trivial _?” Seonghwa’s scandalization is so present in his voice, it’s comical. His eyebrows are raised in disbelief. 

“Oh, kissing is not only mouth-to-mouth.” the wizard explains. “It can be a kiss on the cheek, on the forehead, on the back of the hand… If you put your mouth to something and smack it like ‘mwah’, you’re kissing it.” he makes a kissing sound to illustrate. “It generally shows affection, and not only between lovers. Lots of friends kiss each other on the cheek, for example, and mothers kiss their children on the forehead or cheeks a lot too. My aunt Meredith loves to pinch my cheeks and kiss them, and you’ll probably see me kissing Mingi’s cheek, eventually, because I like showing affection to my friends.”

“That’s… Weird.” the taller says, cocking his head to the side. “Not bad-weird, just new-weird. Like having legs. I still don’t think touching mouths is very pleasant, but now that you explained the affection thing, it’s actually quite adorable.”

“Fun fact, not all humans like kissing on the mouth. Like, maybe a quick kiss, but I’ve met a few people who hate kissing with tongue, so you’re not alone.”

“I’m sorry, kissing with _ what _?”

“Tongue.” Hongjoong holds back a laugh at Seonghwa’s indignation with kiss logistics. “It’s when you, uh, add your tongues. To the kiss. You touch tongues with the other person.”

“That’s literally the weirdest thing I’ve ever learned about humans.” Seonghwa deadpans. “And I’ve learned about bidets on that last movie, so that’s saying something.”

At that, the younger explodes in laughter, shoulders shaking and eyes scrunched close. It takes a moment for him to calm down, his breathing still erratic as he inhaled for air.

“I’m not laughing at your expense, alright?” he croaks out, smile still plastered to his face. “What you said was really funny. And valid, to be honest.”

“Thank… You?”

“I mean it! Sorry if that made you uncomfortable. I laughed at your joke, not at you. Promise.”

“It’s fine. Wasn’t that funny, thought, but thanks.”

“It was. You could totally be a comedian.”

“I’ll pass, thank you.”

Hongjoong snorts. “Alright. Do you still want to watch the movie? We can skip the kissing scenes.”

“No need to skip, it’s okay. Let’s watch it, I wanna know the ending.”

  
  


After the movie ends, Hongjoong asks Seonghwa what did he think.

“Miranda is a bitch.”

“Yes, that’s the spirit.” the wizard smiles. “Were the movies helpful? Or did you enjoy them, at least?”

“They were! And I liked them. Way better than merpeople movies.” Seonghwa claps his hands three times, as if giving the movies a tiny round of applause, and it’s such a cute gesture Hongjoong wants to pinch his cheeks.

Oh my, where did _ that _ come from?

He ignores the thought, and they keep talking about the movies, until Mingi drags himself out of his room, face swollen from sleeping too much, and his “good morning” interrupts their chat.

“Ah, you’re up early!” Hongjoong teases. “It’s not even 3pm yet.”

“Shut up, it’s my day off, I’m allowed.” the younger retaliates by trying to shove him out of the couch, but doesn’t succeed.

The three housemates have lunch together, and just hang out until Hongjoong has to leave for his internship. He says goodbye to the other two, not forgetting to tell them to behave in an overly-exaggerated motherly tone — which makes them all laugh.

This time, Hongjoong is way less worried about Seonghwa, as he’s pretty sure the older will be just fine without his guidance for a few hours.

A smile slips past his lips. He has a good feeling about this.

  
  


The next few days are spent in similar fashion — between work and classes, Hongjoong and Mingi alternate in keeping Seonghwa company. The three of them click together almost effortlessly, the new addition fitting into the household just fine.

Seonghwa is — _ temporarily _, Hongjoong always says — sleeping on the couch, which is fine by him. He’s also been practicing walking, and can already do it without the help of others and managing to keep the wobbling to a minimum. His two housemates always make sure to hype him up and congratulate him on the progress.

He’s finished two books from the ones he had selected before, and is now reading _ A Study in Red _. Reading human books and having human movie sessions does wonders to his perception of human culture and, even though there are some things that still need to be worked on, he’s not nearly as clueless as he was before.

His two housemates have also helped him with technology — Seonghwa now knows how to use the TV, the microwave and has learned how to play Mario Kart. Mingi gave him his old flip-phone that was still functioning nicely and taught him how to make calls, so he could call him or Hongjoong if he needed to. They tried to teach Seonghwa how to use a smartphone, but that didn’t go too well — some apps were alright, some weren’t, and it’s a long story but he and Siri are now enemies.

It’s a Monday, and it marks past one week since Seonghwa traded his tail for legs. It’s a day like any other — he’s playing Mario Kart with Mingi while waiting for Hongjoong to arrive from his morning classes so they can all have lunch.

The hour approaches, and no sight of the wizard. He’s never late for lunch, and Seonghwa starts to worry. He knows it’s probably nothing, but he can’t help it — he’s always been on the worrisome side, especially involving friends, family, people he cared about.

“He probably got caught up in something.” Mingi says, probably sensing the other’s worry. “Relax.”

Seonghwa nods, focusing back on the game in an attempt to shove his worries to the side. It works, in a way, and he feels less antsy as he blue-shells Mingi’s character, concern kindly slipping off his chest as Mario Kart serves as a distraction.

Everything proves to be just fine when Hongjoong arrives, 20 minutes later, looking brighter than usual as he greets his housemates with a smile.

“I have good news!” he chirps.

“Oh?” Seonghwa blinks. “What news?”

“I think I found a job for you.”

The older’s jaw drops. “No way.”

“Yes way!” Hongjoong beams. “You see, I was walking home from the bus stop and I stopped by the small library on the street behind us to talk to the owner, Mr. Han, he’s a family friend so I always say hi when I pass by. Anyway, he made me some tea and said he was looking for an assistant, because, you know, he’s getting old and doing everything by himself is starting to wear him out. His eyesight can’t handle cataloguing books on the computer anymore, and stuff. So I told him i have a friend — you — who loves books, studied literature and is looking for a job. And he said you could stop by for an interview if you’re interested! It’s a small business, so it won’t be overwhelming for you, the pay is good and the atmosphere is cozy and relaxing. So, what do you say?”

Seonghwa stays still for a moment before smothering Hongjoong in a tight hug, thanking him multiple times.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” he holds the wizard by the shoulders. “I was starting to feel useless sitting here doing nothing all day- It’ll be so great if I get this job, I really can’t thank you enough.”

“I didn’t do anything! This was completely Lady Fate’s doing, I had no idea Mr. Han was looking for an assistant when I stopped by.”

“Still, you could’ve just carried on with the conversation, but you remembered me, my search for a job _ and _ my love for books.”

“Anyone would’ve done that. You really don’t need to thank me that much.” Hongjoong rubs the back of his neck.

“Just… Stop being stubborn and accept my gratitude, alright?” Seonghwa hugs him again, this time quicker. “When can I go there for the interview?”

“He didn’t set a specific time or date, so I guess whenever, as long as the library is open.” the shorter shrugs. “When do you want to go? I can take you there.”

“Can we go after lunch?”

“Sure!” Hongjoong nods. “I’ll take you there, it’s one street away from here, so we won’t have to walk much. Let’s eat lunch and then we can go, alright?”

“Alright.” Seonghwa beams.

He turns to the TV to turn off the video game console, and lets out a surprised “oh”.

“Where’s Mingi? He was here with me, we were playing Mario Kart.”

“He left to the kitchen when you stopped the game to tackle me.” Hongjoong chuckles. “You didn’t see it because you had your back turned, but I saw him get up and point to the kitchen before going there.”

“I didn’t want to third-wheel!” Mingi’s voice yells from the kitchen.

Seonghwa looks puzzled. “What’s third-wheel?”

“Nothing!” Hongjoong quickly replies. “He’s just being a little shit.”

They start walking to the kitchen, following the microwave sounds that echo around the house. When they get there, the table is set, and Mingi is waiting for them. Seonghwa approaches the younger.

“Sorry I paused our game to freak about about the job offer and left you hanging.” he says, lips turned downwards. “Are you upset?”

“No! Of course not!” Mingi pats his shoulder. “I’m happy for you! I didn’t want to interrupt your moment, so I decided to just set up our lunch while you two talked.”

“You sure? You can tell me if I made you upset.”

“You didn’t, I promise. Like I said, I just didn’t want to third-wheel. I’m good.”

“I still don’t know what that is.”

“Don’t tell him, Mingi.” Hongjoong says.

The younger snort-laughs and pats Seonghwa’s shoulder again, for good measure. “Don’t worry, we’re cool. If you make me upset one day, I’ll tell you and we’ll talk it out."

Seonghwa reciprocates the gesture and smiles. 

He still has no clue what third-wheel is.

  
  


The job interview is a success. Mr. Han takes a liking to Seonghwa right away, as soon as he notices the boy's marveled face at the sight of the tall shelves full of books. The old man hires him after a series of essential questions about availability, understanding of the job and such.

Hongjoong and Seonghwa arrive home and the first thing they do is announce the older's success.

"I'm employed!"

"Seonghwa is employed!"

Mingi rushes to the living room at the sound of their arrival. "You're employed?"

"I am!" 

"You're employed!" he envelops Seonghwa in a hug, lifting him off the floor.

The older lets out a surprised yelp at that, and Mingi puts him down with a "sorry". He laughs and assures him it's ok.

At night, they order celebratory pizza for dinner while watching cryptid documentaries, and Seonghwa drifts off to sleep curled up in the corner of the couch.

  
  


And, just like that, he falls into routine.

It's easy, and natural. Seonghwa works on weekdays, helping Mr. Han in the library, and he enjoys it (most of the time — sometimes, rude clients ruin the day). 

Hongjoong and Mingi convince him of buying a box bed or a futon so he can stop sleeping on the couch and, after a slightly chaotic shopping trip, they come back with a comfy-looking inflatable mattress. Seonghwa takes a nap on it after it’s set up, and he confirms it also feels very comfy.

He’s taken a habit to visit the hidden beach to see if Milo is there by any chance and, when he manages to see him, he swims all the way to where he is, not caring about his clothes or the distance. In the back of his mind, Seonghwa was always scared he would forget how to swim, but the habit is still very much engraved in all his cells. He’s also surprised he can still understand Milo’s dolphin dialect, as he wasn’t sure how much of his merman abilities had gotten lost when he traded his tail for legs.

They set up a weekly day and time to meet and chat, and Seonghwa stays true to their schedule every week. Milo mostly gives him updates on the merfolk kingdom, and he tells the dolphin about his adventures in the human world. Milo’s company is nice, and likes exchanging stories with his dolphin friend, so their “chatting hour” is a very important part of Seonghwa’s week.

Other than that, he mostly stays at the house, either reading, playing video games or watching TV. He’s not a big fan of going out — still not 100% confident in his walking, despite being completely stable — , and parties are a huge no, so there’s not many options left. Not that Seonghwa minds; he’s very much okay with being a homebody.

He also has taken an unexpected liking to cleaning, tidying and mostly keeping things neat, so it’s not unusual to find him organizing something in the house, or — you guessed it — washing the dishes. One time, they questioned Seonghwa about it, and he just shrugged, explaining that being in contact with water was comforting.

“Are you homesick?” they asked.

“Not at all.” he shook his head. “I might miss the ocean, but not my kingdom. I miss the water that made me come to life, but not the place I grew up in.”

And it is true — while Seonghwa sometimes misses breathing underwater and being able to swim, dive and explore without destination, he never comes close to consider trying to go back. Everything is so incredibly better here, he’s sometimes overwhelmed by the fact that he feels more belonging in this house, where he’s been living for a month, than he ever felt in his old kingdom.

It’s scary, in a good way.

When he receives his first paycheck, the first thing he does is pay Hongjoong back for the enchantment. The second thing he does is treat the wizard to dinner, as a thank you for helping him get his job in the first place. Hongjoong obviously declines vehemently, but Seonghwa ignores him — it’s not like they’re going somewhere expensive, it’s just a retro diner, no big deal — and pays for both of their meals after they’re done.

Hongjoong’s company is, in fact, a very frequent piece of Seonghwa’s life. When their respective free times happen to align, it’s common to see them cohabitating the living room, not necessarily hanging out, but existing together. Hongjoong mostly works on some project on his laptop, headphones on, and Seonghwa reads something he borrowed from the same library he works at. 

At some point, Seonghwa would look at the wizard, who would stare right back and offer him a smile, or one of them would get up and get snacks from the kitchen for the two to share, and those small interactions are enough. Not that they don’t like talking to each other, chat and laugh together, but those times they don’t really need to. A smile can convey an entire book worth of words.

And Seonghwa likes Hongjoong’s smile very much.

He also likes watching him practice magic — brewing useful potions, studying from one of the old magic books he keeps, trying out new spells or performing more basic ones just so he doesn’t lose the hang of it. Seonghwa finds it extremely entertaining, to see happen in front of him things that defy the common perception of reality. It’s also entertaining to watch Hongjoong move around, sometimes wearing safety goggles, sometimes wearing gloves and an apron, sometimes wearing one of his many crystal necklaces, sometimes resolute, sometimes a little clumsy, but always dedicated, always passionate.

The look on Hongjoong’s face when practicing magic is of the same nature of the look when he’s working on music, but they’re different in a very particular way. Seonghwa notices that, when he’s doing magic, the wizard’s eyes shine with a gentle devotion — it’s passion, he knows it, but it’s softer around the edges, like a mutual agreement between him and the magical realm that opened space for this passion to blossom. When Hongjoong is making music, his eyes are also filled with passion, but it’s fierce, thunderous — an urge to _ create _, to spill out something meaningful.

It’s beautiful to think that those two looks, those two passions, both result in different parts of Hongjoong being put in the world. Two sides of his heart, creating beauty in their own language, and a beauty that will, eventually, reach out enough to touch another person’s heart. Be it by listening to his music or by experiencing an enchantment, his creations will make their mark on somebody else’s life. Seonghwa would know.

When he mentions those thoughts to the wizard, he’s met with a blushing face and speechlessness.

“That’s a very special way to look at things.” he comments, cheeks still pink. “And I suppose you’re right; your descriptions came really close to what I actually feel about magic and music.”

“I really meant it when I said your creations always find a way to reach people.” Seonghwa says. “Your heart speaks two beautiful languages.”

“Reading all those books has shaped you into a poet.” the wizard chuckles. “Jokes aside, I’m so happy you think this of me. I’d say flattered, but it’s such a personal topic I don’t think any word applies other than happy. Thank you, and thank you for sharing this with me. It made my day.”

“I’m glad it did. You deserve it.”

Seonghwa prides himself in noticing those things about the wizard and the two occupations he loves so dearly.

He only fails to notice that, to be seeing that much things, he must be looking at Hongjoong a lot more than a simple friend would.

  
  


Hongjoong notices some things about Seonghwa too.

They’re much more subtle — he notices the crinkle of the other’s nose bridge when he laughs, the press of his lips when he’s focused, the occasional furrow of his brows when he’s reading. All tiny, endearing details that can be missed if you don’t pay too much attention.

And Hongjoong admits to, sometimes, paying too much attention.

He notices things about Seonghwa’s eyes, too. Those, however, are different from the little details mentioned before. They’re not flitting, occasional details — they’re permanency, they’re the ongoing, non-stop swirls of emotions in his eyes that are so present it’s hard to miss, but also hard to interpret.

On the day they met, Hongjoong noticed something special about Seonghwa’s eyes right away. He remembers cataloguing the emotions they were displaying as wonder and curiosity, and he remembers being entranced by those eyes that shone like they had just opened for the first time, new to the world, taking in everything they could capture. 

During his first week in the human world, that wonder didn’t quiver, but it shared its place with turmoil. Seonghwa mentioned the uncertainty he felt on those first days, and Hongjoong witnessed it swirling inside his eyes. As time passed, it wore off, giving space for a new emotion: happiness. Wonder still makes itself present whenever Seonghwa learns something new, shining even more beautifully now that it holds hands with the preciousness that is a newfound happiness.

Those two are the most present emotions, but sometimes they give way for others. It’s mostly when Seonghwa reads, his eyes reacting to every word — displaying surprise, sadness, relief, confusion, interest — but it’s also when he looks at something he holds close to his heart. On those moments, Hongjoong can see in his eyes something akin to love — he sees it when Seonghwa stares off at the small portion of ocean that bathes the hidden beach, when he picks up a new book to read, when he rewatches a favorite movie. And it’s mesmerizing to see all those emotions dance in his eyes, alternating between each other but never once losing their intensity.

Differently from Seonghwa, Hongjoong doesn’t share his perceptions. He’s not ready to voice the things that run through his mind when he thinks about this particular topic, so he keeps to himself, at least for now.

And, differently from Seonghwa, Hongjoong is aware of the fact that he’s been spending too much time looking at the older — staring, admiring. He just ignores completely the things this fact might imply.

“You’re whipped.” Mingi tells him one day, after Seonghwa gets up from the couch to do something and Hongjoong’s eyes follow his movements like a moth to a flame. “Absolutely, hopelessly whipped.”

“No, I’m not.” he tries to defend himself.

“You _ are _. I’ve seen this look on you before. Your eyes trailed after him like a puppy does.”

“Shut up.” Hongjoong grumbles. “He’s pretty, it’s inevitable to stare sometimes.”

“Joong, it’s more than just that and you know it. I know you know it.” the younger smiles at him. “And it’s okay. It’s okay that you like him. In fact, it’s kinda cute, I could see you two as a couple. You’re both nerds, it’d be adorable.”

“I can’t stress this enough: shut up.”

“You’re blushing.”

“Yes, I’m embarrassed by this conversation.”

“Are you sure it has nothing to do with a cute bookworm brunette that used to have a tail for l-“

Hongjoong puts a hand over Mingi’s mouth to stop him from finishing the sentence, because he sees Seonghwa walking back with a blanket bundled into his arms — oh, so that’s what he left to do — and he really doesn’t want the older to know what they were talking about. It backfires a little, because Seonghwa stops in his tracks, staring confusedly at the other two.

“Did I miss something…?” he questions.

“No! Everything is in order.” Hongjoong smiles a little too wide, hoping it’s convincent. “Mingi was just spouting nonsense and I was trying to make him stop.” he removes his hand from the younger’s face.

“Oh. Okay, then.” Seonghwa dismisses the subject. “It’s getting cold so I brought a blanket for us.”

He starts to drape the blanket over their legs — the three of them learned how to defy the laws of physics by starting to squeeze themselves into the couch — but Mingi stops him.

“I’m not that cold.” he waves a hand. “You and Joong can share it. I’m okay.”

The older just shrugs and plops down on the couch beside Hongjoong, who’s sitting in the middle, fluffing the blanket over their legs.

The wizard glares daggers at Mingi for putting him into this situation — sharing a blanket? Really? — but the younger just shoots him a subtle thumbs up. He rolls his eyes, trying to stay mad, but it’s quite difficult. Sitting so close, he can feel Seonghwa radiating warmth, and it’s comforting, soothing even, and every irritation he was feeling instantly dissipates.

As his brain starts sending him thoughts of cuddling closer to Seonghwa, to hug him and stay there, Hongjoong mentally facepalms.

Mingi is right. He _ is _ whipped.

  
  


Every once in a while, Seonghwa learns something new about humans. This time, it's quite a fun experience.

He's organizing Hongjoong's closet — his Goddess knows he needs it, but he never actually moves a finger to do it — when he finds a bowl on the shelf he keeps his necklaces, rings and accessories. The bowl is filled with small glass recipients, all with colorful thick liquids inside. Each one of them has its own label, with many things written, and Seonghwa doesn't know which one of the words designate the vials' contents.

He decides to open one of them, twisting its cap, only to be hit with a strong artificial smell and discover a small brush attached to the inside of the plastic cap. This one's liquid is a rich purple, and _ now _ Seonghwa realizes what it is — it's the paint Hongjoong likes to apply on his nails sometimes. He's never seen the wizard putting them on, only saw him with his nails already colored, so it's understandable he didn't recognize the paint at first.

Seonghwa trades the purple paint vial in his hand for a bright red one and puts the bowl back on the shelf. Then, he rushes to the living room where Hongjoong sits on the couch, working on something on his laptop, eyes glued to the screen. The older clears his throat to call his attention, but it doesn’t work, so he taps the wizard’s shoulder lightly.

That seems to do the trick, because Hongjoong stops what he’s doing and turns to him, eyes expectant.

“Oh, hi.” he says.

“Hi. Sorry to interrupt you.”

“S’okay. I probably needed a little break.” the wizard rolls his shoulders to stretch and, as if agreeing with him, his joints pop from the lack of use. “What’s up?”

“You definitely needed a break.” Seonghwa scolds. “But I came here to ask you… Can I use this?” he holds up the small bottle of red nail paint.

“My nail polish? Yeah, sure.”

“Ah, so it’s nail polish. I’ve been calling it nail paint in my head.”

“Technically speaking, both are correct, I guess. They’re used to _ paint _ nails, so.” Hongjoong shrugs, then raises an eyebrow. “Wait. Do you know how to paint your nails?”

Seonghwa freezes. “I… Don’t.”

The wizard chuckles. “I figured. But don’t worry.” he closes his laptop and puts it on top of the coffee table, patting the empty space beside him on the couch. “Sit here, I’ll paint them for you.”

“You don't need to! I can do it, don’t trouble yourself.”

“It’s no trouble. I’m used to it. I like doing it, even. And you said yourself that I needed a break, so this will be my break.”

“Did I mention you’re very convincing?” 

“Yeah, sometimes.” Hongjoong smirks.

“I really dislike that sometimes.” Seonghwa quips, but sits down beside him anyway.

“I know you don’t. Give me your hands.” the wizard makes grabby-hands at the older, who chuckles and does as he’s told.

Having nail polish on your nails feels funny. It’s cold and sticky, and some of it ends up on his skin — Hongjoong assures that happens all the time with him too. The red looks nice, though, complimenting his skin tone, and Seonghwa is happy with his own choice of color.

He doesn’t fail to notice that Hongjoong’s hands are small. They don’t exactly look delicate, but they feel as such — calloused at the tips of his fingers, but very soft, and they hold Seonghwa’s hands with a lot of care, like they’re something precious. 

When he’s done painting the nails of both hands, Hongjoong holds them again, inspecting his own work.

“That color looks nice on you.” he faces Seonghwa with a smile. “Red suits you, in general.”

“Thank you. And thanks for painting my nails.”

“No, thank _ you _ for taking my mind off of that for a while.” Hongjoong points at his laptop. “I think my brain would’ve fried otherwise.”

“Well then, you’re welcome.” Seonghwa gets up to leave, squeezing the others shoulder in a comforting manner. “Take care of yourself.”

He’s halfway back to the bedroom when the wizard calls him.

“Seonghwa?”

“Hm?”

“When I’m done here, can you paint my nails too?”

His voice is soft when he answers. “Sure. What color would you like?”

“Just pick your favorite. I trust your judgement.” 

“Alright. Call me when you’re done, then. And I’m sorry in advance for my lack of nail-painting skills.” Seonghwa chuckles.

“Don’t be sorry. It’s the thought that counts.” Hongjoong’s smile is tender. “Thank you.”

He hopes his own smile returns the feeling. “Don’t mention it.”

Painting his nails for the first time was fun.

But Seonghwa doesn’t know why his heart is beating so fast.

  
  


Hongjoong spends a good portion of his day making music. Seonghwa is aware of this fact. He just never thought it would take such a toll on him.

To him, Hongjoong was always at peace with his music. It’s something he loves, therefore he’s at peace with it.

Seonghwa finds out he’s wrong when he wakes up in the middle of the night to grab a glass of water from the kitchen and sees light peeking out from under Hongjoong’s bedroom door. He doesn’t think much of it — the wizard might’ve fallen asleep on accident and forgotten to turn of the lights — and knocks on the door to check if his friend is awake. Listening closer, he can make out an incessant tapping of fingers on a keyboard, and he already knows Hongjoong is _ very _awake.

“Who is it?” the other’s voice comes from behind the door. He sounds annoyed.

“Me.”

“Hang on.”

There’s the sound of socked feet padding on the floor, and soon the door is opening, revealing a tired-looking Hongjoong — eye bags, messy hair, frown seemingly glued to his face.

“What’s wrong?” the wizard asks. “Did I wake you? Am I typing that loudly?”

“You didn’t. I woke up to drink some water, saw your lights still on and came here to check on you.”

“Oh, I’m fine.” Hongjoong tries to wave off the conversation. “Just working.”

“You’re not fine.” Seonghwa states, matter-of-factly. “You don’t need to lie. I can see that.”

“I’m not lying. I’m okay.”

“Hongjoong.” the older sighs. “You look like a truck just ran over you.”

“_ Thank you _, you also look stunning.” the wizard bites.

“See? You’re never sarcastic like that. Something’s wrong, and you don’t need to talk about it with me, but please don’t lie.”

Seonghwa’s words must’ve had some effect, because Hongjoong motions to his room with his head. “Come in.”

He closes his door and walks to the bed, flopping down on it. At the lack of movement from the older, he lifts his head to face him.

“You can come closer. I’m stressed, but I don’t bite.”

Seonghwa walks in his direction and sits on the edge of the bed. “Are you going to tell me what’s wrong? You don’t need to, you know. We can talk about whatever.” he fixes the wizard with a concerned glare. “_ Or _ you could try to sleep.”

“Can’t.” Hongjoong lets out a heavy sigh. “It’s just… There’s this project I need to finish until the end of the semester, and it’s a little more than a month away, and there’s something… I don’t know, I can’t get it right, and it's frustrating. I’ve tried so many sounds, so many techniques, and nothing. I’m stressed. Want to rip my hair out.”

“Ah, so that’s why you’ve been acting a little off those past few days.” the older’s lips curl downwards. “I’m sorry I didn’t notice earlier.”

“Have I been acting off?”

“A little, yes. Mingi noticed it too. We didn’t want to disturb, so we let you be. We should’ve checked with you as soon as we noticed, sorry.”

“It’s fine, I- You two didn’t know. I tend to shut down when I hit a slump on my projects, so Mingi doesn’t know how I really get either.”

“You should tell.”

“I know. But it embarrasses me.”

"Why? There's nothing to be embarrassed about. No one can be on their best all the time, and no one expects _ you _to. It's ok to be frustrated at your own work."

"It's not ok! Not ok to be frustrated, and not ok to be a failure."

Oh no. Dangerous territory.

"You're not a failure, Joong." Seonghwa scoots closer, the nickname slipping off before he notices it. "You're having trouble with something. It's different."

"Yeah, trouble with something I should be good at." Hogjoong quips, bitterly. 

"You _ are _ good at it. Hitting a slump doesn't mean you're bad, it means you're improving. Facing trouble means your standards are rising, which makes room for improvement."

"That doesn't make any sense."

"It made more sense when I read about it." Seonghwa admits, with a quiet chuckle. "The point is, I've listened to your music before, and there's no way you're bad at it. You're an artist, Hongjoong. Like it or not, part of what you do relies on creativity, and we can't have that all the time. Don't beat yourself up because of it."

"The issue is not creativity." the wizard grumbles, rolling his eyes. "Something in the song is off, and I can't figure out what it is. I _ made _ the song — if I can't see what's wrong with it and fix it, than am I really good at it?"

"Yes. Yes, you are." Seonghwa inches even closer and takes Hongjoong's hands in is. "You're just stressed. Take some time away from the song, and I'm sure you'll figure out what's wrong when you go back to it with a clearer mind. When's the project due?"

"Next month."

"Then you still have plenty of time. Take a break, Joong."

The wizard stays silent, looking down at their joined hands. He lets out a sigh and shakes his head. "I can't. If I do that… It'll be a waste of time."

"And staying up late working on it while stressed is bad for you and your health."

"I'm already bad enough without slacking off. That's why I can't do it. Don't wanna feel more useless than I already do."

The last sentence is said in a whisper. They fall in silence after that, hands still held tight. A few minutes pass before Seonghwa speaks up again.

“Wish you could see yourself the way I see you.”

“Don’t say that.” Hongjoong chides, voice wavering.

“Why not?”

“Because. It’s not worth it. I’m not that good.”

“Of course it’s worth it.” the older squeezes his hands. “You’re so talented, it hurts to see you beat yourself up and put yourself down like that. I really do admire you, Hongjoong, and I wish you could at least see yourself in the same light.”

At that, Hongjoong chokes out a quiet sob. He tries to play it off as nothing, but Seonghwa notices anyway, one hand coming up to hold the wizard’s shoulder.

“I mean it.” he whispers, deeply hoping it’s comforting enough.

“I know.” the other croaks out. “I don’t doubt you. I never would. It’s just… I don’t get it. I mean, I- It’s really hard for me to actually _ like _ the things I create, so I can’t agree with you. I’m so glad you think that highly of me, because you’re someone I care about and that means the world, but I can’t see the same things you see. At least not yet.” he sniffles. “I don’t even know why I’m like that, I usually don’t give much attention to those self-deprecating thoughts because I know they’re bad. But today they’re just…” he makes the motion of something slamming into his head. “Poof. Hitting full force.”

For the first time in their conversation, Seonghwa doesn’t know how to respond. It _ hurts _, seeing Hongjoong think lowly of himself and not being able to fight it. A simple “I’m sorry” would be too shallow, as considerate and sincere as it may be. 

So he scoots even closer.

“I can imagine the turmoil of thoughts you must be having inside your brain, so I don’t know if anything I say will be of help.” he says. “But I want you to know that I care a lot about you. If you need comfort, or if you want to talk about anything that’s been bothering you… I’m here, alright? Mingi too. We’re your friends, we want to help. Talk to us, alright?”

Hongjoong nods. “Thank you. You’re helping me more than you think. Really.”

“No need to thank me. Just… Keep that in mind. And take a break, please. At least to sleep. It’s already late.”

Seonghwa gives the wizard’s hands one last squeeze, rubbing his thumb over them before letting go and starting to get up from the bed. Before he can do it, though, Hongjoong’s quiet voice pins him down like gravity.

“Can you stay?”

The older blinks. “I- What?”

“You don’t have to. I just- Don’t really want to be alone. But it’s ok, I’ll manage. I shouldn’t have asked, sorry.”

“Don’t say sorry. You didn’t do anything wrong.” Seonghwa sits back down on the bed. “I only got confused because it was unexpected. But I’ll stay with you.”

“You can leave after I fall asleep, if you want.” Hongjoong says.

“I won’t leave you alone. I’ll stay as long as you need. Don’t worry.” the older adjusts himself on the bed and opens his arms. “C’mere.”

The wizard looks at him, eyes wide and surprised like a deer in the headlights. “You sure?”

Seonghwa chuckles. “Yes, I’m sure.”

Hesitantly, Hongjoong inches towards him and settles against his chest. He rests his head on the older’s shoulder, finding comfort in his warmth. Seonghwa immediately wraps his arms around him, one hand coming up to slowly caress the wizard’s hair, fingers carding through his soft red locks.

“I read somewhere that hair-petting helps de-stress.” Seonghwa mumbles. “Hope it works.”

“It’s nice.” Hongjoong says, softly. His eyes are closed.

“Good. Listen, Joong, I-“ the older lets out a breath that tickles Hongjoong’s ear, making him shiver. “Oh, sorry about that. But listen. I hope the day you see your creations in a positive way comes as fast as possible. You deserve to recognize all the beauty you put in the world. I’ve told you about that before, and I stay true to my word: what you do is pure beauty. Don’t let anyone or anything take that away from you. Don’t let a slump tarnish something so special. I know it’s special to you. Even if you doubt yourself, I know there’s no way you can doubt your own love for music. Hold onto that. Let that be your anchor — hold tight and don’t slip away.”

The wizard sighs and unconsciously snuggles closer. “You’re too nice, you know that?”

“You deserve it. Are you feeling better?”

“Mhmm. A little.” Hongjoong nods. “Thank you.”

Seonghwa cares for Hongjoong. So, so much. Right now, he notices it more intensely than ever. He wants to take care of the younger so he never feels like this again, and wants to be there for him when he has bad days like this. He wraps his arms even tighter around Hongjoong in hopes that he can feel protected, in hopes that whatever Seonghwa feels for him seeps through the older’s arms into his skin and nestles itself inside his heart.

Whatever Seonghwa feels for him.

He says that because he, himself, doesn’t know what it is. But it’s strong, and it’s good, and it’s sincere, so he doesn’t fight it off. He lets it run wild, free to grow if it wants to.

Apparently, it _ does _ want to grow, and it’s doing so right in front of him, if the way Seonghwa’s heart squeezes in his chest only from holding Hongjoong close, safe, is anything to go by. Again, he doesn’t fight the feeling — letting it course through his veins instead.

The sound of Hongjoong’s breath slowly evening out brings Seonghwa back to reality. The wizard seems to have found his cuddles relaxing enough, and he’s glad Hongjoong is finally getting some sleep. He doesn’t stop petting his hair, trying to be as soothing as possible so the other can fully relax as he falls asleep.

Seonghwa himself is starting to feel sleepy again. He makes a move to detach himself from Hongjoong so he can turn off the lights and put his forgotten laptop on his desk but, at the slightest shift from him, the wizard grumbles.

Holding back a chuckle at the clinginess, Seonghwa leans closer to talk to the wizard in a whisper. “I’m just going to turn off the lights. Be right back.” 

Getting up, he does as he’s planned, returning to the bed soon after the lights are off. Hongjoong clings to him again, this time taking ahold one of his hands, and it’s one of the softest things Seonghwa has ever witnessed. His heart sings, and he tugs the other closer.

He’s not sure if it’s because of his tired, half-functioning brain, or if he can blame it on his unnamed feelings, but he does a very brave move he’d probably regret if he was less sleepy. Leaning down, Seonghwa presses a faint, soft kiss to Hongjoong’s forehead, trying to convey his urge to care for, to make him feel cherished.

And he backtracks his previous thoughts. Sleepy or not, he’d never regret doing it.

The small smile that graces Hongjoong’s face after receiving the kiss is worth every single drop of bravery.

This is the part where Seonghwa could say everything changed after that episode. But there will be no saying of such a thing, because nothing has changed. 

The following morning, Hongjoong’s terrible alarm wakes them up and, not without a string of “thank you”s being said by the wizard, they just get out of bed and go have breakfast. They eat leftover chocolate cake and drink almost-lukewarm coffee, just like they do every week.

Nothing’s changed.

Nothing’s changed except for, maybe, the pull on Seonghwa’s heartstrings whenever he looks at Hongjoong.

It has only become stronger.

  
  
  


It’s been a while since Seonghwa last sang something. 

He misses doing it, but the thing with the human world is that there’s always someone who could be listening. He has tried going to the hidden beach, hoping it would be _ hidden _ enough, but even that felt too risky, so he only went there to sing a couple of times.

It’s funny, in the most cruel way, how the words he constantly heard from merpeople around him have drilled their way into his brain, even if Seonghwa didn’t believe them at first. What he said to Milo when they first met was true — he thought his voice was ok, not angelic, but not unpleasant either. But then came his mother and her constant bashing, scolding him for singing and proceeding to say he sounded like a dying whale.

She could be very mean when she wanted to be.

After that, word went around, rumors not always staying true to the original story. He’d heard people whispering around him, pointing fingers, mothers telling their children not to talk to “the boy who can’t sing”, random people calling him “the boy who doesn’t have a voice”. He’d snicker at the distorted rumors, not caring for a moment that they were at his expense. People really believed anything those days.

In the end, Seonghwa internalized that his voice was a nuisance, so he still doesn’t sing unless he’s 100% sure no one is around to listen. He’s often alone in his house, but refrains from singing, scared one of his housemates would arrive unexpectedly, or scared his voice carries out to the neighboring houses and they all listen to him.

Of course, we all have moments of weakness. 

It happens when Seonghwa is alone — Mingi is at his part-time job and Hongjoong had left to the grocery shop. He’s washing the dishes that had piled up on the sink from lunch, and the cold water on his hands reminds him of the times where he could swim to a secluded, quiet part of the ocean and just sing his lungs out, knowing no one could hear him. 

So he starts singing, right there in the kitchen.

He does it a little without noticing it — it’s natural. He sings as the water runs down from the faucet, serving as background noise. It’s a song from an alternative pop band Mingi showed him a while ago, with quiet, tame verses and a more explosive chorus. It’s a sad song, but Seonghwa likes its emotional tone and raw, sincere lyrics.

He’s so caught up in the song he doesn’t notice the distinct sound of the front door opening, doesn’t notice the sound of bags being put down on the floor, doesn’t notice the sound of steps coming closer and closer to where he is. He only realizes he’s not alone anymore when Hongjoong’s curious voice speaks along with his singing:

“Seonghwa?”

He freezes. His heart suddenly leaps, and it’s not in the good way it usually does. Seonghwa is glad he’s not holding anything breakable, because he drops the spoon he’s currently washing, body stilling in the shock of being caught.

As if not noticing his reaction, Hongjoong’s voice is as bright as ever. “Was that you singing?”

Seonghwa doesn’t respond, and it takes one more calling of his name for him to snap out of his daze. “I was- I’m- Sorry.” it’s all he manages to get out of his brain. 

“Why are you apologizing? Your voice is beautiful! I should apologize for interrupting you.” Hongjoong smiles, still oblivious to the panic going through the older’s mind. “Why didn’t you tell us you could sing?”

“Because I can’t.”

“You obviously can…?”

“I can’t. And I’m sorry you had to hear all that. I thought you would still take a while to come back home.”

At that, Hongjoong notices something is off. He slowly approaches Seonghwa, not sure of what to say. “Is something wrong?”

“With me, yes, but don’t worry, I won’t do it again.”

“You didn’t do anything wrong, Hwa.” the wizard says, softly. “You were just singing.”

“That’s bad enough.”

“It’s really not. Hey.” he reaches over to turn off the sink’s faucet. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“I-” Seonghwa hesitates. But he figures talking it out will be good for him. He trusts Hongjoong, so he nods. “Okay. Can we go somewhere else?”

They walk out of the kitchen and sit down on the couch. Seonghwa takes a deep breath, calming himself down to talk.

“Take your time.” Hongjoong says.

“I’m good now.” the older assures. “So.” he starts. “It’s probably about time that I tell you _ why _ I asked you to trade my tail for legs. It’s long overdue, actually, considering we’ve been friends for a good time now.”

“You don’t need to tell me if you don’t want to. You don’t owe me anything just because we’re friends, you know that. You said it was personal, so you can keep it to yourself if you want to, for as long as you want to.”

“I want to tell you. If anything, I owe you an explanation as to why I broke down after you heard me sing.”

“Well, if you’re sure about it, I’m all ears.” Hongjoong scoots closer so their knees are touching. 

“For starters, you’re familiar with those sirens myths, right?”

“Yeah, I’ve heard of some.”

“So, they’re all lies. There are no evil sea creatures that lure unsuspecting sailors to their deaths. But the myths were born from a fact: all merpeople have, or at least are supposed to have beautiful singing voices.” Seonghwa turns to Hongjoong. “I guess you can imagine it’s not pretty if someone doesn’t follow the norm.”

The wizard nods, sympathetic. “Must be bad.”

“It is. You see, I’ve only heard two people’s opinions on my voice. Mine, which doesn’t really count, and my mother’s. She… She said some pretty harsh things about my singing, and it hurt. I know it’s silly if you put it like that, but there are some things that hurt more when it comes from the mouth of someone who was supposed to love you regardless. She didn’t voice it out, but I felt the disappointment in her voice.” Seonghwa sighs, heart clenching at the memories. “After that, people started to talk. Whisper when they saw me, keep little children away from me. Some older kids started to pester me whenever they saw me, though that was mostly harmless. But in a matter of weeks, I was an outcast. Avoided in the streets, indifferent at home. I don’t even know, rationally, if my voice is that bad or if my mom was just nonsensically being cruel to me, but the consequences were already irreversible. I started to swim around, exploring, only going back to my kingdom when it was necessary. I watched the humans at the beaches or piers I visited, and started to wonder what it would be like to escape from my world to yours. Eventually, I met Milo, which led me to you, and now I’m here.”

Hongjoong doesn’t know how to react. He just stares, dumbfounded, as Seonghwa gives him a sad smile after spilling out everything he had kept locked away for so long. He settles for taking the older’s hand in his, just like Seonghwa had done to comfort him a few days ago, and intertwines their fingers.

“I’m so sorry.” he breathes out. “So sorry you had to go through that. And- They were all wrong, you know. You have one of the most beautiful voices I’ve ever heard.”

“I don’t. I know I don’t.” Seonghwa curls in on himself. “And- I don’t know, maybe I’m wrong, maybe you’re right and my voice is actually not that bad, but I can’t possibly believe it after being told otherwise for so long. After being told my singing is a nuisance for so long. And it sucks, because I _ like _ doing it — I just can’t bring myself to do it around people without freezing and being self-conscious.”

Hongjoong squeezes his hands and looks at him tenderly. “I’m gonna say something you said to me before and, the same way it applied then, it applies now.” he says. “Wish you could see yourself the way I see you.”

“It’s not the same thing.”

“It is.”

“It’s not! Back then, I was talking about your insecurities getting in the way of you realizing how talented you are. This is different.”

“Isn’t this an insecurity of yours? Isn’t it also getting in the way of you seeing how beautiful you sound?”

“In your case, it was way more meaningful. You were seriously putting yourself down because of that, and it hurt me to see that. You were hurting _ yourself _, by downplaying your talents. In my case, it’s pointless. It’s petty. There’s no talent. No one is getting harmed if I refrain myself from singing.”

“Seonghwa. Didn’t you say you liked to sing?”

“Yes…?”

“So you’re stopping yourself from doing something you like because you think you’re not good at it. Does that sound familiar?”

Seonghwa sighs, defeated. He doesn’t say anything, just rubs his eyes with the hand that’s not holding Hongjoong’s.

“Those people took from you something you love. Don’t play it off as a superficial thing. They made you believe you were all sorts of things and, even after running away from them, you can’t shake those beliefs off. That’s not a pointless thing.”

“I suppose you’re right.” Seonghwa admits. “I understand that now. I- In my head, I knew it was not pointless, but seeing you compare it with your own insecurities made me try to make it seem like it wasn’t a big deal, you know? I don’t like putting my problems over other people’s. That’s another flaw I need to work on, I guess.”

“Maybe bringing that discussion up was my bad. I just couldn’t help but feel the same way you did.” Hongjoong brings their intertwined hands up to his chest. “Hearing that story and seeing you feel bad because of something other people did to you… That hurt too.”

“I understand. You were not in the wrong. I know you only want to help, and I’m so grateful to you for that.” Seonghwa smiles. “Like you said, you’re helping a lot more than you think. Just seeing that you care about this warms my heart, and I feel better. So, thank you.”

“You’re welcome. And you deserve it. You deserve all the care in the world.”

“Now, that’s exaggerating.”

“It’s the truth.” 

“You’re very stubborn, you know that?”

“I know.” Hongjoong says with a cheeky smile.

Seonghwa lets go of the wizard’s hand and leans down to flick his forehead, eliciting a laugh from him. Then, he uses the already shortened distance to lean his head on Hongjoong’s shoulder.

“But really. Thank you.”

“Mhmm.”

They stay silent for a while, until Hongjoong breaks it again.

“Hwa. I really meant it when I said you have a beautiful voice.”

“I believe you. I still don’t share the same opinion, but yeah. I believe you. And I’m flattered.”

“If you need help with getting rid of that self-consciousness, if and _ when _ you’re ready for that, you know you can ask me, right?”

“I know. It’s mostly a ‘me’ thing, though, something I’ll need to work on myself. But I’ve been putting it off, being scared. Talking to you helped me see that I was never the wrong one in the story. So I think… I think I’m okay to start working on it now. Turn the game around, and all that.” Seonghwa lets out a nervous chuckle. “By myself, though. At least, at first.”

“I understand.” Hongjoong says. “And I’m so proud of you.”

“I haven’t done anything yet.”

“You’ve done the most challenging part, which is deciding to get over it. The rest is work, but putting your mind to it, that’s what demands more courage. So yes, I’m very proud of you.”

“Thank you. For everything.”

“Don’t mention it.”

They don’t touch the subject for the rest of the day, but that talk alone makes Seonghwa think of the future. Of a future where he’s not scared of singing, of doing something he likes so much in front of other people. And the fact that this future now seems tangible makes his heart burst in excitement, expectant of what’s to come.

  
  


After that day, Seonghwa starts going to the hidden beach again, and tries to sing. It dawns on him one day that the people who once bashed him for doing it are now far, far away, and won’t be able to hear him from there. That fact makes him less scared, and he doesn’t know _ why _ he’s never thought of that before. 

So he sings. He sings his favorite songs, he sings songs he’s heard on movies, he sings songs he doesn’t even know the full lyrics to. And, slowly, day by day, he feels he’s getting better.

He sings to Milo one day, on their weekly meetings, and the dolphin splashes around like never before, practically yelling congratulations and compliments left and right. He then proceeds to curse — very colorfully — everyone who called him a bad singer, and Seonghwa laughs, splashing him weakly and telling him to stop saying bad words, but thanking him for the praise.

After thinking it out and waiting until he actually felt comfortable enough, he sings to Hongjoong. He invites him to go to the hidden beach and they sit down on a towel laid over the sand. And Seonghwa sings to him. 

It’s more like singing in his presence, and he’s a little hesitant, but not scared. He trusts Hongjoong. So he sings to him.

The tight hug he gets afterwards is worth more than a thousand words, but he gets those two — not a thousand, but enough. A string of compliments, “you sound amazing”, “your voice is gorgeous”, and his favorite one: “I’m so proud of you”. It warms his heart, reassures him that yes, he’s actually getting somewhere.

A couple of days later, Seonghwa explains his whole situation to Mingi and sings to him too. He feels like he should’ve done the explaining sooner, but the right moment never showed up, so he put it off. Not anymore, though — he also trusts the younger, so it’s only fair he knows about his story.

Mingi tackles him in a bear hug after hearing about Seonghwa’s past and listening to him sing, and refuses to let go. 

“I’m so glad you trust me enough to share this with me, and I’m so proud of how far you’ve come, so no, I’m not letting go, you deserve to be hugged forever.” he says.

Seonghwa just chuckles and lets the younger do as he pleases, until he gets tired of hugging him.

(Which ends up being a lot later than he thought.)

He’s happy with himself. He’s _ proud _ of himself. There’s still a lot of progress to be made, but he’s done so much, and he can feel he’s getting better. Singing in front of his friends makes him feel even better — it’s like he’s sharing a new part of him, one that’s still being constructed, and them being so supportive is everything Seonghwa could ask for.

He’s on the right path. And he’s happy. 

  
  
  


“So, I was thinking.” Hongjoong starts.

Seonghwa lets out a fake gasp. “Oh no.”

“Shut up.” 

The older receives a plushie attack to the face, and lets the wizard talk.

“As I was saying.” he clears his throat. “I was thinking, and you can totally say no, but I wanted you to sing in one of my projects. Only if you’re 100% comfortable with taking that step.”

Seonghwa stops to think. He’s not sure of how he feels about doing it; he’s not completely opposed, as it would be an honor to be a part of something Hongjoong loves so much, but at the same time he’s a bit iffy at the prospect of his voice being shown to whoever he’s doing the project for.

“I’d love to.” he starts. “But are you… You’re showing it to someone afterwards, right? Is it that song you were having issues with?”

“It’s not that one. I actually figured out what was wrong with it, by the way, and it turned out quite good, so thanks. It wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for you.”

“Stop, you have most of the merit. I only gave you a little push.”

“I said what I said.” Hongjoong pokes Seonghwa’s ribs playfully. “But it’s not that one. It’s an extra song I made when I was feeling inspired. I’d get extra credits if I submitted it along with the first one, but I don’t have to do it. It’s more of a personal project than anything else, I’ll only show it to someone else if you’re okay with it.”

Oh, that makes things better.

“In that case… I don’t see why not.” Seonghwa smiles. “It’ll be an honor.”

“Are you sure? 100% sure?”

“Of course I am. I’ve sang for you before, haven’t I? I don’t have a problem with it. I trust you.” he assures.

“Aw, thank you!” Hongjoong wraps the older in a quick hug. “I really hope you like the experience. It’s a slow and soothing song, like, a slow blues mixed with pop, and it's soft and calming so I thought it would be perfect for you to sing."

"Oh." Seonghwa blinks. "That's… That sounds good. I hope I do it justice…"

"You will. I know it."

"So, when are we recording?"

"I need to book a recording studio at the company first. I'll schedule a day and time that's good for both of us."

"Do they let interns use the studios? That's cool."

"They do! I've recorded there before, they're very ok with it. It'll be fun."

"I know it will. Thank you for thinking of me for the song."

“Don’t mention it.” Hongjoong smiles. “Do you want to give it a listen?”

  


When the day of the recording comes, Hongjoong and Seonghwa leave early to stop by the mall and grab something to eat before going to the studio. Hongjoong thinks the other’s fascination for every meal that contains steak is endearing, and ends up staring at him more than at his own food — which almost gets cold because of it. The waiter eventually tells them to enjoy their “date”, making Hongjoong almost choke on his lemon soda. When he looks at Seonghwa to see his reaction, the older is just giggling. 

Weird. A little unsettling. But it’s a cute giggle.

They walk to the company building side by side, and Hongjoong takes the moments of silence to admire Seonghwa’s look — he always look good, even in sweatpants and a hoodie, so today isn’t any different. The weather is getting colder, so he’s wearing a red turtleneck with a white jacket over it, and jeans. Hongjoong remembers the day Seonghwa bought the turtleneck — they were shopping together, and the older had been torn between buying a red or a striped black and white turtleneck. When asked for input, Hongjoong had suggested the red one, because red suits Seonghwa.

And damn it does. He looks absolutely striking today, and Hongjoong is already losing his focus.

After arriving at their destination, the wizard confirms his reservation of Studio 3 and grabs the keys with the receptionist. She knows Hongjoong, so she raises an eyebrow at him after noticing Seonghwa waiting a few feet behind him.

“He’s with me.”

“Oh, _ is he _?” she smirks.

“N-Not like that!” Hongjoong blushes. “I’m recording a song. He’s singing.”

“Uh huh.” she hands him the keys. “ Have fun. You booked it for two hours, hand the keys back when you’re done.”

“Sure. Bye!”

The studio is small and cold because of the air-conditioning, but it’s not cramped. Hongjoong quickly sets his backpack on the small couch tucked against one of the walls and sits on the spinning chair in front of the mixing table. He sets everything up while Seonghwa stands there awkwardly, not knowing what to do.

“You can go there.” Hongjoong points to the area on the other side of the glass window, where the mic stands. “Put the headphones on, I’ll talk to you through them.”

Seonghwa nods, and does as he’s told. The headphones feel a little heavy on his head, but it’s not too much, so he’s able to ignore it and focus on the recording. Through the glass window, he sees Hongjoong talk into a microphone, and hears his voice in his ears.

“Ready?”

“Yup.” Seonghwa shoots him a thumbs up. “How will this work, though?”

“Oh, right. So, I’ll give you a cue, and the song will play through your headphones.” Hongjoong explains. “You’ve listened to it before, so when the lyrics come, sing them into the mic. If you’re off, or if you miss something, which is alright and happens to everyone, I’ll stop and we’ll redo that part. We’ll repeat the process more than once, so I have more to work with. Alright?”

Seonghwa can do this. Surprisingly, he’s not nervous at all, like he thought he would be. He knows the room is soundproof, and, in the end, it’s just him and Hongjoong, so he’s got this.

The music starts.

And Seonghwa sings.

  
  


In Hongjoong’s opinion, few sights compare to the one of Seonghwa singing. Not only his voice is ethereal, but he looks as such when he’s immersed in the song — his eyes close, his hands move slowly, his head tilts to the side, the corner of his lips turn up. It’s beautiful to watch. His hands shake a little, but not his voice. Never his voice.

Seonghwa’s voice is smooth and strong, like a thick blanket, but made of velvet. It’s so enthralling, Hongjoong starts to doubt the non-existence of sirens — because he might be in the presence of one right now. Seonghwa’s voice draws him in, and he’s hypnotized. It’s gorgeous. _ Seonghwa _ is gorgeous as a whole, inside and out. 

Something stirs in Hongjoong’s chest. He knows what it is.

It’s realization.

At that exact moment, Hongjoong realizes he’s in love.

  
  


Seonghwa is a little tired when Hongjoong announces they’re done with recording. He loves singing, yes, but he’s been standing up this whole time, and repeating verse after verse, so he’s not going to deny that it wore him down. Nevertheless, he’s satisfied — the feeling of mission accomplished washes over him, and he smiles while getting out of the room. Hongjoong is still sat at the spinning chair, saving their process so he can edit it later. Seonghwa stands beside him.

“So, how did I do?” he asks, a little sheepish. He’s used to the wizard’s compliments, so he figures his answer will be of the same nature.

He’s right. But he’s also not right.

Because, before answering, Hongjoong gets up and steps closer, cupping his jaw delicately with one hand at looking at him intensely, but in a tender way. “Beautifully. You did beautifully.”

His voice comes out almost as a whisper, which is also unusual. Seonghwa is used to hugs, pinching of cheeks, and compliments being yelled at him — not hushed voices and hands holding him so carefully. It’s unexpected, yes, but he doesn’t dislike it. In fact, he enjoys the change. It feels intimate, but not uncomfortably so.

There’s something shining inside Hongjoong’s eyes. Over the months, Seonghwa has become a specialist in analyzing them, and this right now is a different look. There’s something special about it, he knows it. His eyes look… _ Passionate _ . Like they’re overflowing with something precious, like they’re _ looking _ at something precious.

Seonghwa thinks he knows what’s shining in Hongjoong’s eyes.

Because he feels the same thing deep in his chest.

And he finally has a name for it.

“I’m in love with you.” he blurts out.

Hongjoong drops his hand. “You’re- What?”

“In love with you.”

“Are you being serious?” the wizard asks, hesitantly.

“Of course! Why would I lie about that?”

“It’s just… Hard to believe.”

“Believe that I’m in love with you?”

“Believe that my feelings are reciprocated.” Hongjoong smiles up at him shyly, cheeks flushed.

Seonghwa gapes at him. “So you’re really… You’re in love with me too?”

“Wait, you _ knew _?”

“Not until two minutes ago. And, even then, I just suspected it. But the spark in your eyes looked so much like what I feel in my chest, so I decided… Decided to confess.”

“You’re so precious.” Hongjoong coos, smiling. “So, so precious.”

“No, that’s you.” Seonghwa holds the other’s face in his hands, thumbs caressing his cheeks. “Precious, talented, awesome, cute, beautiful.”

The wizard ducks his head, embarrassed. Oh, he’s so cute. 

“Can I kiss you? On the cheek?” he asks.

Adorable. Absolutely endearing. Seonghwa nods, giving him permission, and Hongjoong steps closer. He has to lift himself a little on his tiptoes to reach the older’s cheek, and it only adds to the cuteness of the situation. His lips are soft, and the kiss is sweet, a bubbly sensation sizzling inside his heart. Seonghwa wraps his arms around Hongjoong’s waist, keeping him close.

“Been wanting to do that for a while.” the younger comments.

“Do what? Kiss me or confess?”

“Both. But I wasn’t sure of what I was feeling, exactly, so I just… Went with the flow. I knew I liked you, but I only realized how much not too long ago.”

“Funny you said that. I’ve been having really strong feelings for you for a while, but it took some time for me to put a name to them, too.” Seonghwa rests his head on top of Hongjoong’s, not before kissing his forehead.

“I see you’ve become really positive with kisses.” the wizard teases.

“Only some of them.” Seonghwa laughs. “I like kissing you.”

“I like kissing you, too.”

Hongjoong pulls away from the hug, only to drag one hand down Seonghwa’s arm and take the older’s hand into his own. “As much as I’m loving this moment, I think we need to return the studio keys.” he brings their joined hands to his lips and presses a light kiss to Seonghwa’s knuckles. “Sorry.”

“S’okay.” the older smiles. “Let’s go.”

They walk all the way down to the hall and out of the building with their hands linked.

Outside, there’s a chilly breeze, but Seonghwa feels warm.

  
  
  


“Joong.”

Both boys are watching a movie in their living room. Hongjoong has his head on Seonghwa’s lap, while the older plays with his hair.

“Hm?” the wizard replies, a little drowsy. Having someone petting his hair so softly, specially Seonghwa, is relaxing enough to almost put him to sleep.

“Are we dating?”

Hongjoong blinks, startled. “I- I guess?”

“What do you mean by that?” Seonghwa laughs. “It’s a yes or no question.”

“I mean, technically, you could say we’re dating. We cuddle, and kiss, and say we love each other, and go out on dates- But, like, we’ve never… Discussed anything. So, I guess we’re dating. But I can’t be sure.”

“It’s so cute that you’re nervous about it.” the older leans down to kiss Hongjoong’s forehead. “Do you want to call it dating?”

_ Is he really asking that? _“Are you-”

“Hongjoong, do you want to be my boyfriend?”

And, as if he wasn’t too far gone before, Hongjoong falls even deeper into the helm that is loving Seonghwa. He sits up to smother the older in a hug, kissing his cheek multiple times. 

“Yes! Yes, yes, yes,yes!”

He buries his face into Seonghwa’s neck and just stays there, relishing in the warmth. They’re _ boyfriends _. He’s over the moon.

“Hey.” Seonghwa pokes his thigh to call his attention. “Can I try something?”

Hongjoong detaches himself from his side to face him. “Yeah… ? Try what?”

“This.”

Seonghwa leans forward. And keeps leaning, closer and closer, and their breaths mingle. He stops for a moment, either giving himself an extra dose of bravery or giving Hongjoong time to back away.

(He doesn’t.)

And then, as tender as possible, he connects their lips.

Seonghwa is kissing him. His boyfriend is kissing him. They’re having their first kiss as official boyfriends.

Is it possible to explode from giddiness?

The kiss is, as expected, very chaste and brief. That doesn’t mean, however, that Hongjoong loves it any less.

“I thought kissing on the lips was gross?” the wizard teases after they part, eyes still closed.

“Not with you, they’re not.” Seonghwa says, plain and simple. “I imagined what it would be like to kiss someone I really liked and, in that case, I figured I could at least give it a try if the thought of it didn’t bother me. So I gave it a try.” he tucks a strand of hair behind Hongjoong’s ear. “And I don’t regret it. By the way, sorry if my kissing abilities aren’t good. It’s not like I’ve had any practice before.” he chuckles.

Then, it dawns on Hongjoong.

“That was your first kiss!”

“Yeah, it was.”

“With me!”

“Yup. With you.”

“And you liked it...?”

Seonghwa laughs. “Surprisingly, yeah, I did.”

“You’re so cute. I have the cutest boyfriend in the whole world.” Hongjoong hugs him, melting into his side again. “M’glad you liked your first kiss. I liked it too.”

“I’m gonna stop you right there, mister, because _ I _ have the cutest boyfriend in the whole world. And that boyfriend is _ you _.” Seonghwa boops the wizard’s nose. “Cutie.”

“I love you.”

“Love you too.”

Silence. Comfortable silence, for a minute and a half, maybe. Hongjoong is too overwhelmed to count.

“Hwa.”

“Yes?”

“Can we kiss again?” he asks, a little timid.

Seonghwa lets out the hearty chuckle Hongjoong has come to love. “Of course we can.”

And their lips meet for a second time.

  
  


They’re back to cuddling, a new movie playing on the TV. Wrapped up around each other, legs entwined, heads resting on chests. Warm. Inside and out.

“We should thank Milo for making us meet.” Seonghwa speaks up.

Hongjoong giggles. “Yeah, we should. Let’s tell him the next time you two meet up.”

“Mhmm.” a kiss is placed on top of his head. Those seem to be Seonghwa’s favorite type of kiss to give.

They both look at each other. Staring, admiring, drinking up the sight of someone precious. 

They smile at each other, no more words needed.

Seonghwa is right, they both have so much to be thankful for.

More than anything, though, they’re thankful to have each other.

  


**Author's Note:**

> (mingi explains what third wheel means. eventually.)
> 
> AAAND THATS IT!! i hope you enjoyed and, if you reached here, thank you so much for reading!! i apologise for any inaccuracies 🥺
> 
> im also sorry i didnt manage to put all the boys in this fic, but im telling you already: this baby is getting a sequel !
> 
> again, tysm for reading!! feedback is appreciated uwu thank you and have a lovely day~ ✨


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